Former South African cricketer Jonty Rhodes has defended Indian batsmen Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma after their performance in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. India lost the series 1-3 to Australia.
Kohli and Sharma faced criticism for their contributions with the bat. Rhodes suggests that Indian fans might have become accustomed to the team’s recent success in Australia. He emphasizes the difficulty of playing in Australian conditions.
“Everybody’s entitled to their opinion. Cricket is that kind of game and I think the cricket players themselves in this day and age, there is no escape from the public, whether it’s fans who love them or fans who are criticizing them with social media, journalism these days. Everybody seems to be a cricketing expert and players learn to live with that,” Rhodes told IANS.
Rhodes believes that blaming just two players for the series loss is unfair. He acknowledges India’s previous successes in Australia but reminds fans that those victories were hard-fought. He indicates that this time, the team couldn’t replicate those performances.
“Touring Australia is really tough. And I think maybe the Indian fans have forgotten that because India have been so successful in the past in their last two tours to Australia. But it wasn’t easy. You know, some great performances by the team almost resurrected the previous tours. And it didn’t quite happen this time around so to lay the blame at the feet of two people is harsh.”
Kohli started the series strongly with a century in the first Test in Perth. However, his form declined, resulting in a total of 190 runs for the series. He was frequently dismissed while chasing deliveries outside off-stump.
Rohit Sharma missed the Perth Test due to the birth of his second child. He managed only 31 runs in the three Tests he played. He chose to sit out the final Test in Sydney.
Both Kohli and Sharma will be under scrutiny during the 2025 Champions Trophy in February. The tournament will follow a hybrid model after India refused to travel to Pakistan.
Rhodes declined to comment on the political aspects surrounding the tournament’s arrangements. He expressed his happiness as a fan that India and Pakistan will participate in the Champions Trophy. He believes that missing such a contest would be a loss for all cricket fans.
“Fortunately I’m not really involved in the politics of cricket. I’m a big fan of the game and I’m just happy that India are going to be playing Pakistan in this Champions Trophy. Because that sort of game, if it’s not taking place, we all as fans lose out a great deal.”
Rhodes also praised Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s presence at the Viksit Bharat Young Leaders Dialogue and National Youth Festival. He commended Modi’s commitment to building a solid foundation for the future.
