Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma face scrutiny over poor form in press conference ahead of Mumbai Test: 'With great players, you have to...'.

India's top batters, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, have struggled to make an impact in both Tests so far. In the second Test, Rohit was dismissed for a duck in the crucial second innings, while Kohli fell victim to a bizarre full toss in the first innings. Their underwhelming performances have been a major concern for the team.

Additionally, other batters like Shubman Gill and Sarfaraz Khan also failed to rise to the occasion, putting a significant pressure on the bowlers. India's batting coach, Abhishek Nayar, addressed the press conference ahead of the third Test at the iconic Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, where he spoke in detail about the poor performances from the Indian batters.

While Nayar acknowledged that India's two batting stalwarts aren't at their best, he stressed on the need to give them time and space.

“I wish we could curate pitches, but we don't. Curators do. Whatever we are provided with, we go play on that. As cricketers, we don't get conditions according to what we want. Yes, at times, when a top player goes through a lull, it's about giving them space and trusting them to do the work. Whether you are a Virat Kohli or Rohit Sharma or even someone as young as Shubman Gill, the effort is there, the approach is great,” Nayar said.

“They're putting in hard yards. Sometimes, you got to be little patient with great players. They can have tough time. Sooner rather than later, we will have more to praise about Virat Kohli or Rohit Sharma.”

India are only marginally ahead of the second-placed Australia in the World Test Championship standings, and will look to extend the lead when they meet New Zealand. The Mumbai Test will be India's last match in whites at home in this WTC cyle; the side will travel to Australia next month for a blockbuster five-Test Border-Gavaskar Trophy.