Rohit Sharma requests the media to stop hunting for Virat Kohli

India white-ball skipper Rohit feels former captain Kohli is in a great space and the media need not scrutinise the abilities of a batter who is in the side for more than a decade.

Published : Feb 15, 2022 13:59 IST , KOLKATA

Rohit Sharma has backed Virat Kohli to come good with the bat sooner than later.
Rohit Sharma has backed Virat Kohli to come good with the bat sooner than later.
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Rohit Sharma has backed Virat Kohli to come good with the bat sooner than later.

There has been a lot of conjecture about Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma’s relationship in the media, especially after the latter was handed white-ball captaincy.

And now, Kohli’s poor run in the ODIs against the West Indies has raised questions on his consistency. Ahead of the first T20I against the touring party, Rohit requested the media to calm down and not hunt down Kohli if he fails to score.

“I think it starts with you guys. If you can keep quiet for a while, he will be alright. We don’t need to do too much talking from your (media) side, then everything will be taken care of. He is in a great mental space from whatever I see of him.

 

“He has been part of this international side for more than a decade. If someone has spent that much time, he will know how to handle the pressure situations and the environment,” he told reporters on Tuesday.

 

The future of Hardik Pandya

Hardik Pandya, who featured in the T20 World Cup in 2021 as a batter, is down in the pecking order as the lower back injury snatched his bowling skills.

Pandya is recovering, and skipper Rohit believes he is not over yet. “Hardik is a big player, no doubt. He brings three skills – batting, bowling and fielding. We still haven’t discussed if we want to have him as a batter or an all-rounder in the World Cup in Australia later this year.

“We have had injury concerns, so the first thing we want to ensure is that all players are available. Once we know that, we will look at the opponents and conditions and choose the players accordingly. The door is open for everyone,” said Rohit, who understands that every venue in Australia will offer different conditions.

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