Eng vs Ind | Virat Kohli’s quality cannot be questioned, Rohit Sharma hits back at ‘experts’

India Captain Rohit Sharma Virat has hit back at “experts” questioning Kohli’s place in the T20 squad, saying the star batsman’s “quality” is questionable and the team management will continue to back him.

Kohli, who has not scored a century across all formats since November 2019, has failed to make an impact in the pair. T20s with England.

Kohli is returning to the T20 Internationals after five months when his form has been questioned in all formats of the game.

The likes of Deepak Hooda got opportunities in Kohli’s absence and he made the most of it. However, Hooda was left out of the playing eleven after his impressive form against Ireland and the series opener against England.

Experts including World Cup-winning captain Kapil Dev and former England captain Michael Vaughan spoke about Kohli’s long lean patch.

Speaking to reporters after the third T20 on Sunday, Rohit said that experts do not know what is happening in the team.

“It’s not difficult for us because we don’t hear outside noises. Also, I don’t know who these experts are and why they are called experts. I don’t understand it,” Rohit said when asked. His thoughts on how the team views Kohli’s form.

While Kapil said that players cannot be selected on prestige and one has to go by the current form, Wan felt that Kohli needs three months off from the game.

“They’re watching from the outside, they don’t know what’s going on inside the team. We have a thought process, we make the team, we discuss and discuss and think about it a lot.

“The players we pick are supported, they are given opportunities. Outsiders don’t know about it. So what’s happening in our team is more important to me,” Rohit replied to the mounting criticism. Kohli had a bad run.

Kohli has 70 international centuries to his name, behind only Ricky Ponting (71) and Sachin Tendulkar (100) in the game, and Rohit feels the star batsman’s quality cannot be questioned.

“Also, if you are talking about form, it goes up and down for everyone. The quality of the player is not bad. We always remember when such comments come. We support that quality.

“It happened with me, it happened with XYZ. Nothing new. When a player performs consistently, 1-2 bad series, his contribution should not be forgotten.

“It may take time for some people to understand. But for us, inside and running the team, we know the importance. I request outsiders, yes you have the right to talk about it, but for us, it doesn’t matter much,” Rohit said.