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Xtra Time Web Desk: India's Border-Gavaskar Trophy defeat raises urgent questions! The question that stands above all is about the future of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, isn't the delay in taking a tough call throwing Indian team in a bit complex situation? Can India afford this delay ahead of the crucial England tour?

Former cricketer turned expert Sanjay Manjrekar said on the future of Indian cricket's superstar players, “Retirement is in your hand, but playing for India is not." 

He further stated to the broadcasters on Day 2 of the Sydney Test responding to Rohit Sharma's interview, “One thing we hear players often say is, ‘I will decide my future.’ I have a problem with that. You can decide your future regarding retirement, but it’s someone else’s job to decide your future as a player and captain."

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While addressing media, Rohit acknowledged his poor performance and further revealed, “I am not going anywhere." 

“Look, as I said, this is not a retirement decision, nor am I stepping away from the game. I am out of this game because I am not scoring runs. There’s no guarantee I won’t be scoring runs five months from now. We’ve seen how quickly life and cricket can change,” he added.

India had 10 Tests in the final phase of the World Test Championship cycle to secure a spot in the final. As India lost to Australia with a margin of 3-1, India is unlikely to reach finals. When we talk about the tally, the result looks ugly highlighting Three wins, six losses, and one rain-affected draw. The dominance in whites just faded away a long back. 

The two seniors who should have performed in such a crucial series like Border Gavaskar Trophy failed poorly. With Rohit scoring just 164 runs in 15 innings during India’s critical 2024-25 Test season, averaging a paltry 10.93, Virat has been found inconsistent amassing just 85 runs in the last four Tests. The highlight of Rohit is that 91 runs against New Zealand and the second innings century in Perth stands as Kohli's highlight. 

After the series defeat, head coach Gautam Gambhir refused to comment on the futures of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli mentioning as the decision to the players themselves. 

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At this point, is this decision too early or too late! Moving ahead, India will tour to England for a five-Test series in June, they should focus on the future and a fresh start. 

"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. But, those numbers are not pretty reading,” noted former Australian opener Simon Katich, who questioned Rohit’s viability at the top of the order in Test cricket at this stage.

If the selectors and team management opt to give Rohit and Kohli another chance, it would be more an act of faith than logic. The remaining questions are. 

Will these superstars be willing to address their weaknesses? Will they play Ranji Trophy matches to hone their red-ball skills? Will they go to play County during IPL?

History opposes a bit highlighting Virat Kohli's last appearance in the Ranji Trophy was 2012, a year before Sachin Tendulkar made his final appearance in India’s premier domestic red-ball tournament. Speaking about the possibility of Rohit and Kohli featuring in the final two rounds of the Ranji Trophy, Sunil Gavaskar said "wait and watch!"

“The cricket board needs to stop behaving like admirers and take a firm stand,”

“The message must be clear: Indian cricket comes first. It’s either full commitment to Indian cricket or other priorities—you cannot have it both ways. If Indian cricket is your priority, only then should you be selected.”

Hence keeping all facts in mind, it will be expected from the board to take a tough call that favours future!