India captain Rohit Sharma has been going through a lean patch for quite some time now. He failed to do well in the IPL 2022 where he managed to score just 248 runs at an average of 19.14 and a strike rate of 120.17 in 14 games as well. However, he is all set to lead Team India in the rescheduled fifth and final Test in Birmingham on July 1 as well. And, former India captain Kapil Dev has also questioned Rohit’s lean patch, saying that he should have been played against South Africa at home.
“It’s hard to know today who has been rested or asked to be rested. Only selectors will know about this,” Kapil said on UnCut. “The player (Rohit) is brilliant, no question about that. But if you don’t score a fifty in 14 matches, questions will be raised, be it Gary Sobers, Don Bradman, Virat Kohli, Sachin Tendulkar, Sunil Gavaskar or Viv Richards. Only Rohit can answer that what’s happening. Is it too much (cricket) or has he stopped enjoying it? Players like Rohit and Virat (Kohli) should enjoy the game. How they feel is very important (for their performances).”
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However, Kapil Dev also spoke about the mindset of both Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli and predicted it will be ‘impossible’ for critics to remain quiet if they continue their poor form. Like Rohit, Virat Kohli also had a poor IPL season where he faced three golden ducks. He averaged 22.73 in the tournament as well.
“You have to score runs (to get back in form). You cannot go too far based on reputation alone. Eventually, the opportunities will get dried up. How many chances would you need after 14 games? Can’t understand why they’re rested. If dropped, where they will get a chance to play then? It’s quite difficult to see how they play now,” Kapil Dev further said.
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“What I feel is that these players need to correct their thinking. I would be happy if they prove me wrong. If you aren’t scoring runs, then there’s a problem somewhere. Either there’s too much cricket or too less. We only see one thing – how you perform. If performance has dropped, then hard to stop people from talking. It’s not possible. Your performance and bat should speak. Rest doesn’t matter. He (Kohli) is like a hero to us. We used to think if there would come a player who we can compare to Rahul Dravid, Sunil Gavaskar, and Sachin Tendulkar. We never thought like that. Then he (Kohli) emerged onto the scene. Now, the comparison is gone (for the past two years). He will have to address his cricket mentally,” Kapil Dev concluded.
