Rohit Sharma Backs Virat Kohli Despite Comments on the Latter’s Poor Form

The Indian skipper gives his opinions regrading Virat Kohli's slump in form

Indian skipper Rohit Sharma (right) has offered his support to out-of-form batter Virat Kohli. 

(Photo: BCCI)

Team Indian skipper Rohit Sharma backed Virat Kohli following the latter’s poor show with the bat in the recently concluded three-match T20I series against England on Sunday.

Virat Kohli has recently come under a lot of scrutiny due to his lack of form and Rohit was quick to offer his support to the star Indian batter.

“For someone who has been playing so well and consistently over the past couple of years, one or two series or say a year should not be a criterion to judge his abilities. It takes time to come back sometimes and people on the insides who run the team are aware of it,” Rohit said during a press conference after his side's loss to England in the third and final T20I.

Despite the 17-run loss on Sunday, Rohit Sharma's team still won the series 2-1 with wins at Southampton and Edgbaston.

On Sunday, Virat departed for 11 runs after smashing David Willey for a four and a six. He then tried to whack the England bowler for another four but was caught at cover by Jason Roy.

Kohli managed just 12 runs from his two matches in the series, giving a fair glimpse of his struggling form. With players such as Deepak Hooda waiting in the wings following an excellent series against Ireland last month, the out-of-form Kohli has been subject to criticism from outside.

Rohit, meanwhile, opined that the team management followed a thought process when it came to offering chances to new players, and opinions from outside did not matter much.

When asked if the form of a great player such as Kohli was a cause of concern for the team and whether it put him in a difficult spot as a captain, Rohit was quick to disagree.

“It does not put us in a difficult spot, and I don’t know who these experts are and why they are being referred to as experts. They witness the game from the outside. They do not know what happens on the insides. We have our own thought processes. We make teams. There are a lot of discussions and thinking behind it. We also back the boys and offer them chances but people on the outside do not know it,” replied Rohit.

On the other hand, Virat Kohli last scored a century in international cricket in a Test against Bangladesh back in November 2019 at Eden Garden. Since then, the star batter's form has deteriorated across formats.

In 2022, he has managed just 81 runs from 4 T20Is at a strike rate of 128.57, that included one fifty. His only fifty (52) came against against West Indies back in February this year.

Earlier, former Indian captain Kapil Dev during a conversation with APB News had shared his thoughts on Kohli’s form, suggesting that if Team India could drop spinner Ravichandran Ashwin from the Test side, then Virat too could be left out of the T20 setup.

"Now the situation is such that you might be forced to bench Kohli from the T20 playing XI. He will have to perform better. If World No 2 bowler Ashwin can be dropped from the Test side, then (the) World No 1 batter can also be dropped," said Kapil.

Despite comments from outside regarding Kohli's form, Rohit shared his views on the matter and the team management's take on the issue.

“Every player goes through ups and downs in their career, but a player’s quality always remains intact. We should always remember these things, especially when such comments happen from the outside. We see a player’s quality and back them. This has happened with me and other players as well in the past. This is nothing new,” the skipper explained.