Agarkar ordered to ditch ‘perform or perish’ clause for Rohit Sharma: He's not Kohli. What if he fails in Australia?

Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma were picked for the Australia ODIs reportedly with a ‘perform or perish’ clause, which Mohammad Kaif urged BCCI to scrap.

Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma's selection for the upcoming ODI series against Australia, which will begin on October 19, comes with a stipulation. According to a media report, the two senior batters, who remain active international cricketers in only the 50-over format, are not part of head coach Gautam Gambhir and the Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee's plans for the 2027 ODI World Cup, reducing the tour of Australia to merely a 'perform or perish' series. However, the clause did not sit well with former India cricketer Mohammad Kaif, who urged the BCCI to scrap the clause, especially for Rohit.

Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli will be part of the Australia ODI series

The tour of Australia will pose a completely different challenge for both Kohli and Rohit, who have been away from international cricket since the Champions Trophy haul in March earlier this year. According to a report, the decision-makers are quite confident that the duo will manage to find form in the three-match series.

Kaif, speaking on his YouTube channel, reckoned it would be wrong to judge Rohit based on just three matches, given that the 38-year-old isn't as consistent as Kohli, and is more of a player for the bigger occasions. To illustrate his point, he cited the Champions Trophy tournament, where Rohit started off with lean scores but eventually ended the campaign by winning the Player of the Match award in the final after a blistering 76 against New Zealand.

“People are saying that Virat Kohli will be assessed, but I think that is something which will apply to Rohit Sharma. Rohit is not captaining, and the way he has been playing over the years, scoring 20 to 30, but when a big match comes, he scores 80, a match-winning knock, that’s how his career has gone. He never scores consistently,” Kaif said.

“The difference between him and Kohli in their numbers is that Kohli brings consistency, while Rohit brings match-winning innings and knocks. It will be difficult for the selectors. What if Rohit fails in the Australia series? People will say he is out of form, but if you look at his career, he often fails in two or three innings and then comes back strong. Even in the Champions Trophy, he scored 30 to 40 in the early games and then became the Player of the Match in the final,” he added.

Contrary to the media reports, Kaif said the selectors must retain the two batting stalwarts while building towards the 2027 ODI World Cup, citing their invaluable experience.

“In the World Cup, you will need experienced players. If they’ve decided that they’re not being treated right, and they’re close to retirement, that’s their personal choice. But if both of them play in the World Cup, India’s pride will rise, and match-winning innings will definitely come from their bats. My only appeal is not to judge them based on two or three innings,” Kaif concluded.