Pathan pulls no punches, claims Virat Kohli’s BGT demons return; Rohit Sharma looks troubled: ‘Fitness one thing…'

Rohit, who was recently stripped of the ODI captaincy, returned to the side eager to silence his critics after working hard on his fitness and shedding nearly 10 kilos. However, he looked uneasy against the new ball in overcast conditions and was eventually caught at slip. Kohli, meanwhile, once again fell to the fifth-stump line — poking at a delivery and this time getting caught at point without troubling the scorers.

Pathan dissected India’s batting struggles in Perth, pointing out how lack of match practice affected Rohit and hinting that Kohli might still be battling technical concerns from the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. He also praised KL Rahul’s composure and Axar Patel’s consistent middle-order contributions.

"Fitness is one thing and game time is one thing. That is why Rohit looked a bit troubled. It looked like the demons of the BGT were back for Virat. I hope this is not the case in Adelaide and Sydney. KL Rahul batted well today. Shreyas Iyer got into an awkward position. Maybe he can work a bit more on his technique. Axar does well whenever he gets an opportunity to bat ahead," he said on his YouTube channel.

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“It was going to be difficult for India”: Pathan

Reflecting on India’s struggles in Perth, Pathan emphasised the importance of better preparation ahead of overseas tours. He said an early arrival and a few warm-up matches could’ve helped India adjust to Australia’s pace and bounce, preventing the batting and bowling errors seen in the series opener.

"Whenever you tour such countries, it is always better to go early and play some games. It was going to be difficult for India. It was going to be a challenge as the conditions would not be easy. Our bowlers could not get the right lengths. The batters also had trouble with the bounce. If you had played a game or two, these mistakes would not have happened. It is important to think about these things going forward," he added.

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