AUS vs IND 2025: “They have fallen behind” - World Cup winner’s brutal take on Virat Kohli & Rohit Sharma ahead of 2nd ODI

Irfan Pathan feels that Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma have fallen behind due to a lack of match practice. While Rohit made eight runs off 14 balls in the first ODI against Australia at the Optus Stadium in Perth on Sunday, October 19, Kohli departed for an eight-ball duck. India had a disastrous start to the three-match series, going down 0-1 after the seven-wicket defeat in Perth.

The Indian batters struggled against the pace and bounce offered by the surface in Perth. Kohli and Rohit were already under pressure after making a comeback to international cricket for the first time since the Champions Trophy final in March.

Pathan opined that Kohli and Rohit will find it hard to live up to their lofty standards in international cricket if they are going to come into assignments without playing adequate games in the domestic circuit.

"We will never judge Rohit and Virat by their performances, and no one should as well, because they are great players. But you have to do the things that are needed, you have to complete the processes, you have to play matches. In this regard, they have fallen behind. If they had played some matches before coming, and shown some form, the team management might have thought seven batters are enough, and we can include Kuldeep Yadav. But now, since the team is unsure of the form of three players, it is not happening," Pathan said on his YouTube channel.

Apart from Rohit and Kohli, Pathan also lambasted Shreyas Iyer for not playing domestic cricket ahead of the high-voltage series against Australia. He cited the example of Rishabh Pant, who will play for India A against South Africa A to get match fit after recovering from injury.

"It is not like they (Virat, Rohit, and Shreyas) did not have a lot of options to play cricket (during the break). I believe that no matter how big a player you are, when it comes to Indian cricket, you have to make sure that you return after following the proper process. We have seen both Rohit and Virat work hard, but match fitness and normal fitness are two different things. For example, Rishabh Pant, coming after injury, will play for India 'A' against South Africa 'A'," Pathan added.