Former Indian cricketer and noted commentator Navjot Singh Sidhu lashed out at critics of batting icons Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma following their poor performances in the recent Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 in Australia.
Virat Kohli, who has a fantastic Test record in Australia, started the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 with an unbeaten century in the first Test but failed to carry on the momentum and ended with just 190 runs in the five-match Test streak.
Navjot Singh Sidhu defends Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma amid backlash after poor Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25
On the other hand, Rohit Sharma missed the first Test after the birth of his second child and was rested for the last Test against Australia. The Indian captain has been worse with the bat, scoring just 31 runs in three Tests.
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They are facing backlash for their poor tour, as Australia defeated India 3-1 to reach the 2025 WTC final and also lifted the Border-Gavaskar Trophy after 10 years. Amid heavy criticism, Navjot Singh Sidhu defended Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma saying that even great players have gone through bad patches.
He emphasized that the long-lasting contributions of Kohli and Rohit to Indian cricket cannot be ignored due to a few months of poor form. Sidhu reminded everyone of past cricketing legends like Mark Taylor, Mohammad Azharuddin and Sourav Ganguly, who faced extended spells of failure but eventually bounced back.
He emphasized that it only takes one good innings to get back to form and strongly backed the duo to come back. Navjot Singh Sidhu was quoted as saying in Sports Tak: “You know, one’s bad form comes two months. You cannot delete it. The services he’s been doing for so long, I know you can’t rest on your laurels.”
“You have to refresh them with new ones. But you have to give them a supplement. Mark Taylor fell for a year and a half. Persistent. Azharuddin kept falling. Ganguly failed in 8 innings. And he said, I can fall in 8 innings. , but I need it just one change to come back.”
The cricket expert further pointed out that just six months ago, both Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli took India to the 2024 ICC T20 World Cup and reminded everyone that cricket is a team game and blaming individual players is easy. He urged everyone to have faith in both the Indian batting icons.
Sidhu remarked, “It’s a team game. Blame is the easiest. It’s easy to hit rocks. But some people make their homes out of the stones that the world hits.” The former Indian cricketer-turned-politician stressed that Virat Kohli has already faced challenges and it is wrong to mix his personal life with public criticism.
He urged people to respect heroes like Kohli and have patience. Sidhu reminded everyone that tough times are part of every player’s journey and just as stars shine brightest in the darkest of nights, Kohli will rise again through his struggles.
Sidhu signed off saying, “These are the kind of people. This is not the first time that Virat Kohli is in crisis. This is not the first time that his wife has intervened. Right? This is not right. We must learn to respect our heroes. Have some patience. And, I think, you will understand. Behold, the darker the night, the brighter the star. So I think it was three eras. And in these periods, everyone had a bad time.”
