One of the most likeable cricketers in the game, yet Rohit Sharma hasn’t been immune to criticism by pundits, former cricketers, or journalists. The India ODI captain has even been a part of some fiery press conferences, especially since taking over the role of a skipper in the national team. In the final phase of his career, Rohit pointed out a big change that he has seen in the way the business of cricket is being run. In an interview, the 38-year-old highlighted how the ‘masala’ has taken over ‘pure cricket’ in modern times.
During an interview with Vimal Kumar, Rohit highlighted how big a difference there is between the kind of commentary he sees in India in comparison to what he sees in Australia, calling the former highly ‘disappointing’.
“We see everything, we talk to each other. Sometimes when we are watching the match on TV, the kind of things commentators talk about is much different from the kind of commentary you see in Australia. Here, it is so disappointing. I am being very honest. It seems like they just want to target a player and speak about him. This is very disappointing,” Rohit said during the interview.
The veteran batter, who recently quit Test cricket, said that criticising a player over poor form is fully understandable, but commentators should know where to draw the line.
“There are a lot of people who love the game. They don’t want ‘masala’, they want to watch cricket. In today’s times, we put a lot of masala in the game. There are cricket lovers too who want to know more about the game, and understand why a player’s form is bad. They don’t want to hear about personal stuff. Just because you have the right to speak, doesn’t mean you’ll say anything. Respect the players. I even said at a few places that everyone who has been part of these World Cups deserves great respect. It’s not a joke to win 23 out of 24 matches, no matter how it happened,” Rohit asserted.
Rohit even feels that in today’s times, ‘agenda-driven’ criticism has taken over genuine feedback on a player’s performance or non-performance.
“Yes, there have been things where it has gone out of our hands. We didn’t do well in some instances, where we deserve criticism. No problem. We lost to New Zealand at home, we deserve criticism. But there’s a way to criticize someone. Today, agenda-driven criticism is being done here. It is not so likable,” he concluded the topic.
Rohit also said that he doesn’t believe in defending himself over criticism, as ‘attacking’ is what he is good at.
“To handle criticism is important in a sportsperson’s life. I understand that. But, it’s unnecessary criticism that I am against. Such things weren’t needed. I see people say a lot about me, some say that I get out to left-arm seamers. If I go out defending that, I’ll do a lot of things wrong. My time is very precious, don’t want to waste my time defending myself. Attacking is what my work is. It’s better to show what you want to on the field, not outside,” he said.
Topics mentioned in this article