Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli in CWC 2023 (Photo: Debasis Sen)
I had written a piece yesterday morning saying Virat and Rohit should both feature in the Indian team for the T-20 world cup in June 2024. And the piece was backed by reason. Both have played stellar cricket in the recently concluded world cup and were the two batting mainstays of the Indian team. Additionally, Virat is a livewire on the field and saves a few extra runs in every game. Finally, they are the only two brands in world cricket at the moment who draw crowds to stadiums. They are the Messi and Ronaldo equivalent of cricket and the ICC and BCCI will need these two men as they enter the untapped North American market.
The piece, which went viral, met with strange responses. A huge number of Virat fans abused me saying how dare I discuss Rohit on equal terms with Virat. Rohitians on the other hand started accusing Virat of being selfish. Frankly it was bizarre. Rohit, for the record, has played some of his best cricket under Virat as captain. His 5 hundreds in the 2019 world cup was under Virat’s captaincy and he was India’s best batter in England. Virat too has scored the highest world cup runs under Rohit’s captaincy and has been the player of the tournament in world cup 2023. In sum, both have given their absolute best when the other was captain and in doing so tried to serve the team in the best way possible. And yet the fans don’t seem to get the point. Rohit and Virat together led India’s campaign and without contributions from both, and of course the bowlers not to forget KL and Shreyas, India wouldn’t have won 10 games on the trot. In team sport, there is no one man who can do the job. There is no Pele without Garrincha. There is no Messi without Di Maria and Alvarez and there is no Maradona without Buruchaga or Caniggia. The moment we try to see one player in isolation, we miss the trees for the woods. The fact that Rohit was able to give the starts made it possible for Virat to bat the way he did. And the fact that Virat was in sublime form allowed Rohit to take the chances at the start of the innings.
The India narrative in the world cup is the story of a collective. And Rohit and Virat are both key to the 10 win story. Going forward that’s what India could benefit from in the world T-20. Age is no longer relevant in sport and all that matters is form. Whether Rohit has scored in the last edition of the world T-20 or whether Virat has batted slow just doesn’t matter. What matters is current form and on current form the two are well capable of serving India.
Virat Kohli in action during the CWC 2023 (Photo: Debasis Sen)
Anyone who watched the world cup closely was amazed at the camaraderie between Rohit and Virat. Clearly the two were on a mission and were determined to back each other to the hilt. So while some trolls on twitter say Rohit Sharma lost the home world cup, they are completely off the mark. The loss is as much Rohit’s as it is Virat’s. The loss is as much ours as fans. It is India’s loss at the end of the day. In fact, the two men most heartbroken with the loss are Virat and Rohit and that’s what the fans need to appreciate and understand. Both played quality cricket for nearly 50 days and deserved to win the trophy for the country. That they did not will haunt them for months.
The world T-20, which is just six months from now, is an opportunity for these two champions. And for their fans. In the interest of Indian cricket, it will be nice to see Rohitians and Viratians call truce for some months and back the national cause. Their heroes are doing so. No reason why they won’t. By abusing the other, they get nowhere. By abusing me, they only add to my engagement. And by abusing, they disgrace themselves. Indian cricket can do better and both Rohit and Virat deserve better. Yet again I repeat, on current form both Rohit and Virat deserve to be in the Indian team in the world T-20 in North America and the Caribbean. Anyone who says things to the contrary is perhaps doing so with a bias that the sport can do without.
Also Read: Hard to see a T20 World Cup in North America without Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli
The post Rohit and Kohli Back Each Other; Their So-Called Fans Drag Cricket Back appeared first on RevSportz | Latest Sports News.
I had written a piece yesterday morning saying Virat and Rohit should both feature in the Indian team for the T-20 world cup in June 2024. And the piece was…
The post Rohit and Kohli Back Each Other; Their So-Called Fans Drag Cricket Back appeared first on RevSportz | Latest Sports News.
