'Time to retire': Fans slam Virat Kohli for another failure in Sydney Test vs Australia

Indian cricket star Virat Kohli faced heavy criticism from fans following another disappointing performance in India's first innings of the ongoing 5th Test against Australia at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Friday. Kohli was once again dismissed early in what was a lackluster display for the star batsman on Day 1 of the Test match. Coming in to bat at no.4 after the quick dismissals of Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul, expectations were high for Kohli to stabilize the innings alongside Shubman Gill. However, much to the dismay of Indian supporters Kohli failed to deliver under pressure.

Facing 69 balls, Kohli could only muster 17 runs before edging an outside-off delivery to be caught at slips off Scott Boland. With early wickets falling, the team had relied on Kohli to lead the charge but he fell short of expectations. Disappointed fans took to social media platforms to express their frustration, with some users even sending Kohli harsh retirement messages.

Thank you Virat Kohli...
Now announce the retirement pls...
You already have done a lot for the team and for the team sake pls retire....#INDvsAUS#ViratKohli #KingKohli #BCCI#IndianCricketTeam #TestCricket

—  (@saksh_msdian_07) January 3, 2025

Virat Kohli has lost the spark, he just lacks techniques and only he has few shots.

He is getting out in same pattern since 2022 England series, it's been more than 2 years but the Result is same, no correction at all.

Please Retire gracefully!!

: Disney+ Hotstar#INDvsAUS pic.twitter.com/6wt4xMMahB

— Sanno (@sh_scribe) January 3, 2025

 INDIA will Lose this match 

Rohit Sharma,Virat Kohli,KL Rahul, Now time to RETIRE 

— Kushal  (@CricketKushal25) January 3, 2025

Thank you Virat Kohli for your services..Now pls retire#INDvsAUS #ViratKohli pic.twitter.com/fTGzAbx0ul

— Amu (@Ajmul45) January 3, 2025

Test Cricket doesn't need a six pack abs to score runs, it needs an excellent hand eye coordination, how early you see the balls matters the most and it gets difficult with age. Virat Kohli needs to understand it and retire. Time has come.

— Priyajit 2.O (@Rohitswarrior1) January 3, 2025

Virat Kohli began the Australia tour with a bang by scoring a century in the second innings of the Perth Test match which India emerged victorious from. However, his performance has since declined failing to surpass the 40-run mark in subsequent matches.

The former India captain faced early dismissals in the second Test in Adelaide, scoring only 7 and 11. His struggles continued with a mere 3 runs in the Gabba Test. In the fourth Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, Virat managed 36 and 5 runs across two innings as India suffered a defeat, falling behind 1-2 in the series.

Despite his inconsistent form, Virat has retained his place in the final XI for the remaining match. With only 184 runs in the series so far he will be looking to make a significant impact in the final innings.

On the other hand, Rohit Sharma's poor run of form led him to opt out of the fifth Test match to rest. With just 31 runs in three games, his struggles with the bat have been evident. Jasprit Bumrah, who previously captained the team in Perth has once again taken on the role of captain. It seems that Rohit's Test career may be coming to an end.

Also read| IND vs AUS 5th Test: Jasprit Bumrah, Sam Konstas engage in heated on-field argument on Day 1, video goes viral