‘I hope Rohit & Virat get big runs, I fear they won't’ - Michael Vaughan analyses India ahead of BGT 2024-25

India’s chances to qualify for the World Test Championship final look slim following an embarrassing 3-0 defeat to New Zealand at home. The batting unit struggled heavily against the spinners as there were glimpses of brilliance from Rishabh Pant, Shubman Gill and Sarfaraz Khan but overall, it looked pale and they couldn’t establish authority in the middle. The seniors - Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma scored 93 and 91 runs respectively in six innings, while KL Rahul was dropped after the first Test in Bengaluru.

Former cricketer Michael Vaughan is worried about India’s chances in the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy, slated to begin on November 22. He believes that the seniors need to step up their game and score big runs for India to clinch the title but he fears that they might struggle. The 50-year-old noted that the visitors will also need to improve their technique to play against Australian pacers.

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“The one thing that India are going to require to win here in Australia is Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli getting big runs and getting back to their best. I hope they do, I fear they won't. I fear that they might just be over the edge and when you face an Australian attack that is up there with the greatest that has ever played the game in their own backyard, you've got to arrive here with solid technique and you've got to arrive with amazing mentality,” Vaughan told Fox Cricket.

Virat is fighting at the minute: Vaughan

Virat played six Test matches in 2024, scoring only 250 runs. He has struggled heavily but Vaughan reminded that even without his service, India won the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in 2021. The former England captain stated that there’s concern regarding Kohli’s form at the moment and the player is fighting every minute to regain momentum.

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“I mean last series they won, they had no Virat Kohli to chase down that target at the Gabba. Australia hadn't lost a Test match at the Gabba in 32 years, but I will say there's a real concern around Kohli. That full toss that he missed to Mitchell Santner, that's not Virat Kohli. You're looking at a player that's just fighting (for form) at the minute,” said Vaughan.