Virat Kohli And...? India Likely To Drop These 3 Stars For Sydney Test vs Australia

Virat Kohli is on the firing line after another failure in MCG [Source: AP]Virat Kohli is on the firing line after another failure in MCG [Source: AP]

India extended their torrid run in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, as Australia defeated them by 184 runs in the fourth Test at Melbourne Cricket Ground to take an unassailable 2-1 lead in the series. Chasing a whopping total of 340 runs, India were bowled out for 155 runs, losing the game by a significant margin. 

The talismanic duo of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma let India down yet again, as the visitors put up a shambolic performance in the second innings. While Yashasvi Jaiswal played another glorious knock, the rest of the Indian batting unit couldn't put up a fight against Australia's rampant bowling attack. 

Thus, considering the Sydney Test is a must-win contest for India to retain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, the visitors might drop several non-performing players for the series finale, as mentioned below. 

Virat Kohli

  • India's legendary batter Virat Kohli has been nothing short of a disappointment on the ongoing Australian tour. The talismanic cricketer kickstarted this BGT with a stunning century in Perth, but couldn't sustain his momentum, letting India down with a string of poor outings. 
  • More importantly, Kohli has been a liability in the Indian batting unit since 2020, managing 2005 runs at an abysmal average of 31.32. His batting average has been less than 30 in four out of last five years, including 2024. So, given that he has already got a long rope, India should drop him for the final Test and replace him with someone like Nitish Reddy at number four. 

Rohit Sharma

  • Indian captain Rohit Sharma has been miserable with the bat in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. The stylish right-handed batter has been a pale shadow of himself in the series, scoring 31 runs across five innings. 
  • His horrendous recent performance since the Bangladesh home series signifies his torrid run, which should lead to his exclusion from the Test XI. If Rohit is dropped, it will allow KL Rahul to open the innings, thereby making room for Dhruv Jurel lower down the order and balancing India's batting lineup. 

Akash Deep

  • Young Indian pacer Akash Deep bowled beautifully in the MCG Test. But his inability to force the batters to commit mistakes cost India heavily in the game. He kept beating the bat so many times, but the Australians dealt with his thunderbolts very effectively. 
  • On the other hand, Mohammed Siraj, despite being erratic at times, has emerged as a wicket-taker in the series. He has made the batters play more and hence commit mistakes while dealing with the fourth-stump line deliveries. 
  • So, if India decide to tweak their line-up, Akash Deep might miss out, with either Harshit Rana or Prasidh Krishna replacing him. These two pacers can hit the deck and can add a different dimension to the Indian pace attack in Sydney.