Rohit Sharma-Virat Kohli To Be Dropped For England Tests? Chris Gayle Says "Don't Push Them..."

West Indies cricket icon Chris Gayle backed star Indian batting pair Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma to continue in Tests during the tour to England, saying the longer they are around, the better for the cricketing world. Gayle was speaking on the sidelines of the launch of the second season of the Pro Cricket League, in which he will play for Ghaziabad Bhawani Tigers. Speaking to ANI about the celebrated pair of batters, who have caught flak for their poor Test returns, Gayle said, "Of course they are still going, these guys still have a lot of cricket in them. Don't push them out. The cricketing world needs those guys as much as possible. It is great to have them around still. They still bring a lot of value to international cricket. There is always going to be someone after, but the longer they are around, the better it is for the cricketing world."

The India's tour of England this year of five Tests will kickstart India's ICC World Test Championship 2025-27 cycle from June 20 onwards.

However, the Indian camp has a big worry to tackle before the series: the form of veterans Rohit and Virat in Tests, which has nosedived heavily, contributing to the team's first-ever series whitewash at home last year to New Zealand and their missing out on the WTC final for this year.

The 2024-25 season of Tests was miserable for 'Ro-Ko'. While Rohit scored just 164 runs in eight matches and 15 innings at an average of 10.93 with the best score of 52, Virat scored a shambolic 382 runs in 10 matches and 19 innings at an average of 22.87, with just a century and fifty each.

While Rohit's Test form underwent a dip just during the last few months, Virat's struggles to regain his dominance in whites have been longer. Since the start of 2020,