NEW DELHI: As India lost the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia, stalwarts Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli have come in for heavy criticism from critics and fans.
Both Rohit and Virat are having a lean run with the bat and though Virat hit a hundred in the Perth Test, questions have been raised about his spot in the team.
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Former Indian cricketer Yuvraj Singh, in Dubai to attend the launch of The Tennis Ball Cricket Premier League, spoke to PTI and backed both Rohit and Virat saying people forget what they (Rohit and Virat) have achieved in the past.
India were eliminated from the World Test Championship final by Australia, who won the fifth and final in Sydney on Sunday to recapture the Border-Gavaskar Trophy after a decade.
PTI shared a clip of the interaction on X in which Yuvraj says, “I look at what India has achieved in the last 5-6 years. They have achieved two back-to-back victories in Australia. I don’t remember any team doing that. People are criticizing Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli a lot, but people forget what they have achieved in the past. They are two of the greatest cricketers of this time. It’s ok they lost, they are more hurt than us. I am sure India will bounce back. Gautam Gambhir as coach, Ajit Agarkar as selector, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Jasprit Bumrah, they are the best minds in cricket right now. And they have to decide what the future of Indian cricket is. I am sure this will be discussed with BCCI, with Jay Shah and taken into consideration that what is the best way for India to move forward.”
In eight innings, Kohli only scored 190 runs at an average of 23.75, and he was dismissed four times by Scott Boland and was caught in the slips up to eight times.
On Rohit Sharma opting out of the fifth Test against Australia in Sydney, Yuvraj said, “It’s a big thing. I have not seen in the past that a captain is out of form and he opted out of the playing XI. It is the greatness of Rohit Sharma that he kept the team ahead of himself. He’s a great captain, whether he wins or loses, he will always be a great captain. In his captaincy, we played the World Cup (ODI) final, we won the T20 World Cup, we achieved a lot. More than the defeat in Australia, the loss to New Zealand should hurt us more because we lost 0-3 at home. That is not acceptable. It’s fine we lost in Australia after winning twice. Australia has been a dominant side for so many years.”
Rohit scored 31 runs in the three Test matches that he played in the series and this protracted lean patch forced him to opt out of the last Test.
On being asked what change he would like to see in the dressing room, Yuvraj said, “First of all I am not in that position, I was a student of the game and still am a student of the game. Gambhir, Rohit and Virat have played more cricket than me. I can only give my opinion and my opinion is that when players are not performing, it is very easy to criticize them, but supporting them is very difficult. It is the media’s job to criticize them and it is my job to support my friends and brothers. For me they are my family. Simple.”