BCCI urged to rope in Sachin Tendulkar for India vs Australia Tests to revive Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma's fortunes
Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma's performance in the New Zealand series came under fire after they managed just 93 and 91 runs respectively
Former Indian cricketer WV Raman, on Thursday, advised the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to rope in India batting legend Sachin Tendulkar for the impending Border-Gavaskar Trophy series and revive Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma's batting fortunes.
India's batting came under fire following the whitewash at home against New Zealand earlier this month. The batting line-up's vulnerability against spin was exposed as 37 wickets fell to New Zealand spinners across three Test matches.
Kohli and Rohit's performance in the series was particularly criticised after they managed just 93 and 91 runs, respectively, recording one of their worst-ever shows in a home series.
With India's next assignment up against Australia, were batting will play a key role in deciding the result of the series, Raman took to social media to float the idea of having Sachin in the Indian dressing room as a batting consultant, which could work immensely in favour of Kohli and Rohit, who are possibly touring Australia for the final time in their career.
He tweeted: “I think that #TeamIndia could benefit if they have the services of #Tendulkar as the batting consultant in their prep for the #BGT2025. Enough time between now and the 2nd test. Roping in consultants is rather common these days. Worth a thought?”
When Sachin helped Kohli after the dismal 2024 England tour
One of Kohli's major blips in his illustrious career came almost 10 years back when he travelled to England for the first time in his career. After reaching the highs on home turf, Kohli was ready to reign on one of the toughest conditions in world cricket, but the 25-year-old returned with a run tally of just 134 runs across 10 innings, which left his career at stake.
Recalling what he described as "the lowest point" of his career, Kohli recalled how Sachin had come to his aid to script a turnaround.
"My hip position was an issue during that England tour," Kohli told Mayank Agarwal on bcci.tv in 2020. "If the right hip opens or closes too much you, you are in trouble. [You have to] keep that hip position nice and side-on and balanced so that you can play through both off side and leg side with equal control is very very important.
"I came back from England and spoke to Sachin paaji and had a few sessions with him in Mumbai. I told him that I am working on my hip position. He made me realise the importance of big stride, a forward press against fast bowlers. The moment I started doing that with my hip alignment, things started falling in place nicely and then the Australia tour happened."
Kohli had bounced back from the England low to script an unforgettable campaign in Australia, which eventually redefined his career as a world-class batter. He scored 692 runs at 86.50 with four centuries in as many Tests, his best-ever show in an away series.