After a seven-month hiatus, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli made their highly anticipated return to the national team. However, their comeback was far from ideal, as both seasoned players endured brief and unremarkable stays at the crease in a rain-interrupted first ODI match against Australia in Perth. Opening the batting, Rohit Sharma looked to settle in before falling victim to a sharply rising delivery from Australian pacer Josh Hazlewood. Rohit departed for just 8 runs. Virat Kohli had an even shorter outing, falling for a duck off eight deliveries. While the failures of the star duo drew attention, batting coach Sitanshu Kotak, who was asked if Kohli and Rohit looked rusty at Perth, suggested the poor showing was more a reflection of poor weather conditions.
"I do not think so. They played the IPL. The preparation has been very good. Like I said, 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. We had four or five interruptions, and every two overs you are going in and coming back out," Kotak said during the press conference ahead of the 2nd ODI.
The batting coach was asked whether modern legends like Rohit and Kohli require hands-on guidance; Kotak gave a candid and insightful response. He said that there was no need to rush when dealing with seasoned professionals who have spent over a decade mastering their craft on the global stage.
“See, we are very much aware of what preparations they are doing, what their fitness status is. They also go to the National Cricket Academy. What they are doing there, their videos… obviously, I have. But not always, to be very honest.”
“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," Kotak added.