Border–Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25: 3 players who could retire after the series and their possible replacements

2) Sarfaraz Khan for Virat Kohli

Ace batter for India since the dawn of time, Virat Kohli, has just not looked in his usual tempo-setting mojo. The hand-eye coordination seems to be waning away, with him getting stuck on the crease way too often. The recent home series against Bangladesh and New Zealand are clear testaments to the aforementioned shortcomings. With him following Rohit's suit as far as his T20I career is concerned, giving it one last shot in the form of a five-match grill in Australia might be the best alternative for a player whose white-ball expertise would be required at the World Cup in 2027. 

The chronicle of Sarfaraz Khan is quite similar to that of Easwaran. However, the only difference is that he has played six Tests more for the nation up until the conclusion of the BGT. One hindrance that is limiting his likelihood of being the first-choice middle-order batter is there being the likes of KL Rahul who has more often than not, been backed due to his experience of playing in foreign conditions. If Kohli does make way from the Test squad, it could open the gates for Sarfaraz to feature as a Test regular.