"He was finding it hard playing second fiddle to Rohit Sharma" - Former Australia cricketer's massive claim on Virat Kohli's Test retirement

Former Australia spinner Brad Hogg recently commented on Team India's ace batters Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma's Test retirements. He opined that Kohli struggled to play the "second fiddle" to Sharma during the latter's red-ball captaincy tenure.

Hogg emphasized that Kohli thrived under the pressure of captaincy. He linked the seasoned campaigner's batting slump to his departure as the Test captain. Speaking on his YouTube channel, Hogg remarked (at 42:22):

"Virat Kohli started to really struggle and find his feet after he lost the captaincy. He is one of those guys, especially when playing for India, he bats best when he is captaining and leading from the front. He was finding it hard playing second fiddle to Rohit Sharma."

Hogg pointed out Kohli's underwhelming batting average towards the back end of his Test career. However, he emphasized that a player of such stature deserved to get a few more opportunities.

"I think they might have just stuck with him for a little bit too long at certain stages, especially with his average. But a player like Virat Kohli, you've got to give him a few more chances because he has proven his worth over time. I think he was pushed out rather than him making that call," he added.

Kohli is the most successful Indian Test captain, with 40 wins from 68 matches. He relinquished the red-ball captaincy in January 2022 after the 2-1 away series defeat to South Africa.

The veteran batter drew curtains to his memorable 14-year Test career in May 2025. His retirement announcement came just days after Sharma retired from Test cricket.

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"He really struggled outside of India" - Brad Hogg's blunt assessment of Rohit Sharma's Test career

In the same video, Brad Hogg reckoned that Rohit Sharma struggled to perform in overseas Test matches. He noted that while the opener performed admirably in white-ball cricket, irrespective of the conditions, it wasn't the same in the red-ball format.

The cricketer-turned-expert remarked (at 41:55):

"I think Rohit Sharma's record touring was not that good. I think he had to move on at some stage. I'm not saying that in disrespect to Rohit Sharma. He is a wonderful player, a brilliant white-ball cricketer in all regions of the world, but in that Test arena, he really struggled outside of India."

Shubman Gill was named India's new Test captain following Sharma's retirement. The 25-year-old's first assignment in the role was a five-match away Test series against England.

India drew the recently concluded series 2-2. Gill was the highest run-getter of the tour, amassing 754 runs across 10 innings.

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Edited by Aditya Suketu Desai