Jim Maxwell, the 78-year-old ABC commentator, spoke with a sense of sadness, reflecting on the decline of two cricketing giants: Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. A day earlier, Maxwell had criticized Kohli’s lack of mental discipline and described Rohit as “sadly past it.” But now, his tone had softened. “There was a shoulder barge, and a century in Perth, but I’ll remember Kohli’s past exploits, not this series. We haven’t seen the best of Rohit in Tests,” he said, acknowledging their decline in form.
The question now is not if, but when Kohli and Rohit will retire. With the 50-over Champions Trophy in just 50 days, will they announce their departure then, or could a retirement decision come sooner—possibly after the fifth Test in Sydney?
Rohit Sharma started Day 4 positively, his first real sign of form in this series. Early on, he played with more fluidity, moving his feet and playing the line well. The pitch didn’t offer much deviation, which helped his cause, allowing him to play patiently. He worked through a spell of Cummins, faced Starc’s initial overs without much fuss, and scored a few runs with controlled drives. A couple of deliveries from Scott Boland did rise awkwardly, forcing Rohit to pull his bottom hand off the bat handle, but he survived.
Occasionally, Rohit would walk over to his young partner, Yashasvi Jaiswal, offering quiet advice—his presence calm and steady at the non-striker’s end. Yet, as Maxwell remarked, if he wanted to adopt a wait-and-see approach, why open the batting and disturb the rhythm? Rohit did manage a couple of neat shots, including a crisp punch off Pat Cummins, reminding us of better days.
However, after the drinks break, his composure faltered. Boland’s first delivery after the break was outside the off-stump, and Rohit poked at it, missing. Next ball, a mistimed shot against Cummins edged to gully, and he was dismissed. The crowd erupted, and when Kohli came in, he was greeted with boos and chants.
Kohli, too, seemed mentally undone. Starc bowled a perfect sucker ball, wide outside off-stump. Kohli, tempted, chased it and was caught. Maxwell, ever the keen observer, noted the absence of mental discipline—a key trait missing in both players during this series. The end of an era seems imminent for both, and the question remains: how much longer can they hang on?
