India’s batting coach Sitanshu Kotak has said there is no sign of rustiness in senior batsmen Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, who got off the Australian tour on a low note in the first ODI at Perth. Both Rohit and Kohli, who are not part of the Test and T20Is teams, are featuring in their first series since announcing their retirement from other two formats.
Having not played any competitive cricket since the IPL, there have been doubts as to whether Rohit and Kohli will be able to find form by just playing one format. After the Perth ODI, the questions got louder and on the eve of the second match in Adelaide, Kotak was asked if the two experienced stalwarts were rusty coming into the series. “I don’t think so,” Kotak replied when asked about rustiness. “They played IPL. The preparation has been very good. I think both of them have a lot of experience. Before coming to Australia, they had time in their preparations, and they have done it. I felt the weather in the first game definitely played a role. Because I think it would have been the same if Australia had batted. When you don’t know how many overs you are going to bat, it’s not easy to plan. Every 4-5 breaks we had, every 2 overs you are going in, coming out — it’s difficult,” he said.
Having announced their retirement from T20Is after winning the T20 World Cup last year, Rohit and Kohli Test career too came to halt ahead of the England tour. Before that they had a successful Champions Trophy campaign, where both played a key role in India’s title win. But in Perth, Rohit was dismissed for 8 off Josh Hazlewood’s bowling while Kohli was out for zero off Mitchell Starc.
Since they haven’t had much of game time, it remains to be seen whether the two are in form or not. But Kotak said they are aware of their preparations. “See, we are very much aware of what preparations they are doing, what their fitness status is,” Kotak said. “They also go to the National Cricket Academy. What they are doing there, their videos… obviously, I would have [watched them]. But not always, to be very honest,” he added.
As a batting coach Kotak said, he will have to find the time to intervene should he wishes to have a word or two with the two experienced players. “You have to find the time to intervene. I am a big believer in that. With such senior players, you don’t want to intervene if it’s not required. If they are doing things right and you’re still trying to get involved, it may not be the right thing to do always.”
