Former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan pointed out that Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma returned to international cricket after nearly seven months without fully going through the preparation process.
The former cricketer suggested that it has led India to field an extra batter, leaving Kuldeep Yadav out of the playing XI against Australia in Perth. The two stalwarts failed to score big as Kohli was dismissed for an eight-ball duck, while Rohit also departed cheaply for just eight in the series opener at the Optus Stadium, Perth
Rohit struggled against the new ball under the overcast Perth skies and was eventually caught at slip. Kohli, on the other hand, fell once more to a delivery targeting the fifth-stump line, edging it to point without adding to the score.
Pathan pointed out that Kohli and Rohit’s limited preparation left the team uncertain about their form, forcing India to play an extra batter.
“But you have to do the things that are needed, you have to complete the processes, you have to play matches. In this regard, they have fallen behind. If they had played some matches before coming, and shown some form, the team management might have thought seven batters are enough, and we can include Kuldeep Yadav. But now, since the team is unsure of the form of three players, it is not happening,” Pathan said on his YouTube channel.
“Make sure you return after following the proper process”
The former all-rounder, who earlier stated that Kohli’s BGT demons returned at Perth while Rohit looked troubled, emphasised that match fitness differs from general fitness. He added that both stars skipped the proper preparation for playing competitive cricket, a gap that showed clearly in the first ODI.
“It is not like they (Virat, Rohit, and Shreyas Iyer) did not have a lot of options to play cricket (during the break). I believe that no matter how big a player you are, when it comes to Indian cricket, you have to make sure that you return after following the proper process. We have seen both Rohit and Virat work hard, but match fitness and normal fitness are two different things. For example, Rishabh Pant, coming after injury, will play for India ‘A’ against South Africa ‘A’,” he added.