On day 5 at Gabba, Virat Kohli was seen sharing a heartwarming moment with the veteran spinner Ravichandran Ashwin. Virat Kohli was seen hugging Ashwin, as the later seemed to wipe off his tears just after that. Virat Kohli was listening to him throughout, and the conversation seemed to be quite serious. Virat Kohli hugs Ravichandran Ashwin... 😢pic.twitter.com/Ff8NlaRZuV — CricketGully (@thecricketgully) December 18, 2024 As the conversation was shown, commentators, including Sunil Gavaskar, were heard predicting Ashwin's retirement, saying that India has got options, especially Nitish Reddy coming in the setting. Speaking about Ashwin, he has not been a regular on the team, despite being a star in the limited chances he got. India has favoured Kuldeep Yadav for a long time, until he broke out in the team and became a formidable one to face having Ravindra Jadeja by his side. However, in the ongoing Border Gavaskar Trophy, he played only in the second Test, where India got defeated by 10 runs. Read also: IND vs AUS: Akash Deep’s humble apology to Travis Head steals the show Kohli's struggles persist; India escapes the follow-on as rain disrupts play once again Virat Kohli struggled in the Test series, barring a century in Perth, with Josh Hazlewood dismissing him cheaply at Brisbane. India’s batting faltered at Gabba, with KL Rahul’s crucial 84 runs and Ravindra Jadeja’s 77 being the only standout performances. Jadeja, hit on the fingers by a Siraj throw, underwent scans but continued batting to stabilize the middle order. Fighting to avoid a follow-on, Jasprit Bumrah and Akash Deep contributed a gritty 39-run partnership on Day 4. Akash was dismissed early on Day 5, scoring 31 off 44 balls. Rain disrupted the match, delaying play until an early lunch. Australia’s second innings saw Akash Deep and Bumrah shine, taking early wickets, with Siraj clearing Travis Head and Steve Smith. Despite the Aussies declaring, rain returned, and bad light forced the day’s end. India managed only 8 runs, with the match getting paused for Tea.