Former Australia opener Simon Katich sent a brutal warning to India captain Rohit Sharma for India’s tour of England later in the summer, which will mark the beginning of the fresh World Test Championship cycle, saying that the series might not be the one where he could regain his form. Katich’s comment came amid a forgettable show from Rohit in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series.
The India opener scored just 31 runs in five innings in Australia at 6.20, before he “opted out” of the series finale in Sydney owing to his poor form. The tally was part of his disastrous run in Test cricket since September, where he scored 164 runs in eight matches at just a tick over 10. The run subsequently sparked discussions on Rohit’s future in the format.
With India’s next assignment being the tour of England, which will begin in June, Katich warned Rohit that the series might be a “tough” one for a “37-year-old.”
“Only he knows whether he has the hunger and drive at 37 to go again. England is not going to be an easy series. England are on their way up. They have some good young quicks coming through. Gus Atkinson and Brydon Carse are doing well,” Katich said.
“I dare say that will be a tough tour if he chooses to go on it and the Indian selectors pick him, first and foremost. Those numbers are not for pretty reading.
“Test cricket isn’t a place for 37-year-olds at the top of the order. History suggests that, and only Rohit Sharma knows whether he has got the hunger to go on,” he said.
‘Rohit has a future in comedy…’
Despite his poor run of form, Rohit clarified that the Sydney call did not hint at his Test retirement. Speaking to broadcasters Star Sports in Sydney on Day 2 of the Sydney Test, Rohit even lashed out at critics over their verdict on his form as he remained confident of a comeback.
“I am confident things will change. At the same time, I have to be realistic as well. At the same time, some person is sitting with a mic, laptop or a pen and writing stuff; our lives do not change because of what that person is writing or saying,” he had said.
The response from Rohit left Katich dropping a cheeky comment where he said that the India star does have a good career in comedy ahead when he retires.
“Well, if you look at the numbers, they are damning. We saw it in this Test. It was very selfless of him to opt out of the Test. I saw in that interview, very well-spoken. There’s no doubt he has a future after he is done playing cricket in stand-up comedy because his humour was very good,” Katich added.
