• Home
  • What If
  • What If Virat Kohli Rohit Sharma Retire From Tests After Bgt Indias Probable Playing Xi

What If Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma Retire From Tests After BGT: India's Probable Playing XI

Debashis Sarangi

Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma are at the twilight of their Test career [Source: AP]Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma are at the twilight of their Test career [Source: AP]

On Wednesday, India's veteran off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin shocked the cricketing world by announcing his retirement from international cricket. After the third Border-Gavaskar Trophy Test concluded in a draw, the talismanic off-spinner hung up his boots through a formal announcement during the post-match press conference. 

As Ashwin explained, he belonged to one of the five OGs of the Indian cricket team. As he has bid adieu to international cricket, fans around the world have started speculating about the potential retirement of the legendary batting duo of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. 

Both Kohli and Rohit have been miserable with the bat on the Australia tour. While Kohli averages only 25.07 in Tests this year, Rohit averages just over six after three innings in the series. 

So, if these two batters don't turn things around, it won't be surprising if they keep the teams' priorities at the top and decide to retire from Test cricket. How will India's Test XI look like then? Let's analyse and find out. 

Openers: Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul

Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul's extraordinary performance in the Perth Test cemented their places as India's Test openers. In fact, captain Rohit Sharma demoted himself to number six to accommodate these two batters at the top after rejoining the team for the Adelaide Test. While Jaiswal brings dynamism and flamboyance to the table, Rahul's stoic technique and elegant stroke-play makes him a valuable asset for the Indian Test team. 

Gill, Pant To Form India's Batting Core With Sai Sudharsan And Jurel

Shubman Gill has been playing as India's number three batter since the Men in Blue have ignored Cheteshwar Pujara in the format. However, Gill has certain technical flaws against the moving ball and is more suited to bat at number four in the Test team. 

In such a scenario, young left-handed batter B Sai Sudharsan could be the perfect choice for the number three batter's role. He has been impressive in the domestic circuit and performed admirably for the A team in the recently concluded unofficial Test match against Australia A. He has a compact technique and can frustrate the opponents with his grit and determination. 

Meanwhile, swashbuckling keeper-batter Rishabh Pant is locked in at number five, with Dhruv Jurel likely to play at number six due to his solid temperament. Having said that, there will be a toss-up between him and Sarfaraz Khan for the number six slot, especially in home matches. 

Reddy, Jadeja And Sundar To Play As India's All-Rounders

Nitish Kumar Reddy is India's biggest find this BGT, as he has grabbed the limelight with his consistent performances with bat and ball. If India play overseas Tests, Reddy could be preferred for the seam-bowling all-rounder's role instead of a pure batter like Jurel. 

On the other hand, Jadeja and Sundar could be India's first-choice spinners for all conditions following R Ashwin's retirement. Having said that, India might pick Tanush Kotian and Manav Suthar, particularly for home Tests. 

Bumrah, Akash Deep To Spearhead India's Pace Attack With Siraj

India's fast-bowling department will likely be unchanged, with Jasprit Bumrah leading the attack with Akash Deep and Mohammed Siraj. Prasidh Krishna, Mukesh Kumar and Harshit Rana could retain their places as the reserve pacers. 

India's Strongest Playing XI If Kohli, Rohit Retire After BGT

Yashasvi Jaiswal
KL Rahul
B Sai Sudharsan
Shubman Gill
Rishabh Pant (WK)
Dhruv Jurel
Nitish Kumar Reddy/Ravindra Jadeja
Washington Sundar
Jasprit Bumrah
Akash Deep
Mohammed Siraj

Reserve Players: Sarfaraz Khan, Harshit Rana, Prasidh Krishna, Mukesh Kumar