Fans Demand Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli’s Immediate Retirement as India Faces Historic Home Whitewash
In an unprecedented turn of events, fans are calling for the retirement of Indian cricketing stalwarts Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli after a historic whitewash at home against New Zealand. The Test series exposed major batting and leadership concerns as both players struggled with form, sparking intense criticism and frustration among fans. While Rishabh Pant and Ravindra Jadeja were the only consistent performers, India’s top batting line-up failed to make an impact, culminating in record-breaking low scores and stirring speculation about the future of these cricketing legends.
Arpit Shakya 
INDC Network : Cricket : In what has become one of the most shocking Test series in recent memory, the Indian cricket team suffered its first-ever whitewash at home, losing three consecutive Tests to New Zealand. This disheartening series has fans questioning the roles of two of India’s iconic players, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, with many calling for their immediate retirement from Test cricket.
Typically revered as pillars of India’s batting order, Rohit and Kohli faced severe backlash due to their underwhelming performances throughout the series. Rohit Sharma managed just 91 runs across three matches, averaging 15.16 with a top score of 52. Kohli, similarly, scraped together only 93 runs at an average of 15.50, with a solitary knock of 70 in the second innings of the Pune Test standing as his sole contribution. Outside of this innings, Kohli struggled tremendously, contributing just 23 runs across five other innings. The disappointment of their performances was mirrored in India’s lowest-ever score of 46 at home in the first innings of the Bengaluru Test.
The inability of India’s batting order to cross even 200 runs consistently was evident, barring the second innings in Pune. There, a record partnership between Sarfaraz Khan and Rishabh Pant lifted India past the 450-run mark, which turned out to be an exception rather than the rule. The duo of Rishabh Pant and Ravindra Jadeja was India’s only consistent source of runs, while the rest of the batting lineup faltered, culminating in India’s historic home whitewash in a three-match Test series.
Rohit Sharma openly acknowledged his shortcomings as both captain and opener, conceding that his form was far from satisfactory. He struggled against pace bowlers on pitches that were spin-friendly, and his decision to attempt risky shots, such as his second-innings dismissal in Mumbai, raised serious questions about his shot selection and focus. Meanwhile, Kohli’s struggles against left-arm spinners were exploited repeatedly by New Zealand’s Mitchell Santner and Ajaz Patel, exposing his weaknesses with surgical precision as they trapped him on both the inside and outside edges.
This poor form has ignited anger among fans, with many taking to social media and forums to express their frustration, demanding that both Kohli and Sharma step down from Test cricket. Generally, supporters are divided over who is the better batter, but their disappointment this time transcended those debates, leading to unified calls for the retirement of both players to pave the way for a new, resilient lineup.
The series loss has indeed raised critical questions about India’s batting depth and strategy moving forward. With mounting pressure on selectors to rethink team compositions and on players to rise to their standards, the demand for change in the Test lineup has never been louder.
