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Team India's bitter defeat against Australia in the Sydney Test didn't just see them lose the Border-Gavaskar Trophy but also the glimmer of World Test Championship final qualification hope. As pundits Irfan Pathan and Sunil Gavaskar reflected on India's mistakes in the series, Virat Kohli's below-par show with the bat stood among the top factors. Irfan didn't mince words as he tore into Kohli, highlighting his disappointing numbers with the bat while questioning his place in the team. The former India all-rounder even suggested that a youngster can give as many runs as Virat to the team.
"In 2024, in the first innings, where the match is set, Virat Kohli only averages 15. Over the last 5 years, he doesn't even average 30. Does the Indian team deserve this from a senior player? Instead of this, give a youngster consistent rope, even he can give an average of 25-30. It's not about an individual, it's about the team," Irfan said during a chat on Star Sports.
Indian cricket has often been hurt by the 'hero culture' which sees under-fire superstars being protected despite repeated failures. However, Irfan wants the 'team culture' to prevail. He even asked why Kohli hasn't played domestic cricket in a long time, whereas even an all-time great like Sachin Tendulkar did when he was out of form.
"We need to end superstar culture, we need team culture. You need to improve yourself and improve the Indian team. There were matches before this series, too, and they had an opportunity to play domestic cricket, but they didn't. We need to change that culture," a disappointed Irfan said on Live TV.
“When was the last time Virat Kohli played domestic cricket? It has been more than a decade. Even Sachin Tendulkar has played domestic cricket more recently, and he has retired,” he further said.
Irfan Pathan slammed kohli pic.twitter.com/83PnOuneF3
— Shubham (@Shubham_Msd7) January 5, 2025
“We are not degrading Virat Kohli. He has scored a lot of runs and played superbly for India, but you are repeating the same mistake again and again. Sunny sir (Sunil Gavaskar) has pointed it out, and he is here at the ground. How long does it take to come to Sunny sir and talk about that mistake? It takes hard work to rectify that mistake, and I didn't see any of that,” the former India all-rounder further pointed out.
India's stand-in captain for the match, Jasprit Bumrah, feels the experience youngsters gained in the series will help them take their game to the next level in the team's forthcoming assignments.
"They've (youngsters) gained a lot of experience, they'll go from strength to strength. We've shown that we have a lot of talent in our group.
"A lot of the youngsters are keen, they're disappointed that we haven't won but they'll take learnings from this experience. It was a great series, congratulations to Australia, they fought really well," he said.