Irfan Pathan blames 'BGT demons' behind Virat Kohli's duck, questions Rohit Sharma’s lack of match practice

Irfan Pathan blames 'BGT demons' behind Virat Kohli's duck, questions Rohit Sharma’s lack of match practice (AFP/X Photos)

Reflecting on India’s batting woes in the Perth ODI against Australia, former all-rounder Irfan Pathan attributed the team’s struggles to Rohit Sharma’s lack of match practice and Virat Kohli’s lingering technical flaws.

Both veteran stars, making their comeback to international cricket, had a difficult game. Rohit scored just eight runs at the top, and Kohli departed without scoring after facing eight deliveries.

India lost badly as a result of collective batting failure in a rain-truncated contest, ruining their eagerly anticipated comeback.

After putting a lot of effort into improving his fitness and losing around 11 kg, Rohit, who was recently relieved of his ODI captaincy, returned to the team ready to quiet his detractors. But in cloudy conditions, he appeared hesitant facing the new ball and was eventually caught at slip.

Kohli, on the other hand, was caught at point after prodding at a delivery and falling to the fifth-stump line once again, something which was heavily discussed during the last Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25, which India lost 1-3.

"Fitness is one thing and game time is one thing. That is why Rohit looked a bit troubled. It looked like the demons of the BGT were back for Virat. I hope this is not the case in Adelaide and Sydney," he opined while speaking on his YouTube channel.

Additionally, he commended Axar Patel's steady middle-order contributions and KL Rahul's poise. "KL Rahul batted well today. Shreyas Iyer got into an awkward position. Maybe he can work a bit more on his technique. Axar does well whenever he gets an opportunity to bat ahead," he added.

Pathan emphasised the significance of improved preparation before international tours as he reflected further on India's problems in Perth. He claimed that India could have avoided the batting and bowling mistakes made in Perth by arriving early and playing a few warm-up matches to assist them get used to Australia's pace and bounce.

"Whenever you tour such countries, it is always better to go early and play some games. It was going to be difficult for India. It was going to be a challenge as the conditions would not be easy. Our bowlers could not get the right lengths. The batters also had trouble with the bounce. If you had played a game or two, these mistakes would not have happened. It is important to think about these things going forward," he added.