Questions raised about Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma's poor form ahead of Mumbai Test: 'With great players, you have to...'

Team India will be back in action for the third and final Test of the series on November 1, looking to prevent a series whitewash against New Zealand. The team suffered their first Test series loss at home in 12 years last week, with the Kiwis defeating Rohit Sharma's squad by 113 runs in the second Test held in Pune.

One of India's major concerns throughout both Tests have been the underwhelming performances from their star batters. In the second Test, the side's batting stalwarts – Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli – failed to make a mark, with Rohit registering a duck in the all-important second innings. Kohli, too, was dismissed in a bizarre manner, getting bowled on a full toss in the first innings of the Test.

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.