Kapil Dev commented on Virat Kohli’s future in the T20I, and the team India’s skipper Rohit Sharma disagrees with him. He defended Kohli when Dev mentioned Kohli’s latest performances. Sharma said Dev does not know what lies behind the curtains.
Sharma immediately slammed Dev’s comment after India won against England in the ongoing T20I series. He defended Kohli in the press conference saying Dev does not know the whole story of the Indian team processes.
"He (Kapil) is watching the game from the outside and does not know what is happening inside. We have our thought processes. We build our team, and behind this there is a lot of thinking. We back the boys and give them opportunities," Sharma said.
He then said the inside information is more important than the outside. “So these things you do not get to know from outside. So whatever is happening outside is not important, but what is happening inside is more important for us," Sharma said.
Virat Kohli's past performances
Sharma then highlighted Kohli’s performances as a whole including his years past. He said Kohli’s recent poor performances does not define him as a player as he has massive proof of being the best in previous years. Sharma believes in Kohli’s ability in the team.
"If you talk about form, then everyone goes through ups and downs. The player's quality does not get affected. When a player is doing well for so many years, then one or two bad series does not make him a bad player. We should not overlook his past performances," Sharma said.
He then said the Indian team knows the player’s importance and comments may spur but the team does not bother with them.
"We, who are in the team, know the importance of the player. They (former players) have got all the right to talk about it, but it does not matter for us too much," Sharma said.
Kapil Dev comment
Earlier, Dev said Kohli should be dismissed from India’s team at the T20 cricket World Cup. He likened the former captain’s situation to Ravichandran Ashwin, an off-spinner who was removed for an England Test.
"If World No. 2 Test bowler Ashwin can be dropped from the Test side, then your No. 1 batter can also be dropped. If he (Virat) is not performing, you cannot continue to keep these boys (youngsters like Deepak Hooda) out," Dev said.
Previous match in the ICC T20 World Cup 2022
Team Indian went against England in a three-game series that ended on Sunday. The series ended with India winning two out of three games. India scored 50 runs higher than England in the first game and just 17 runs higher in the third.
The team will play England again for another three-series game tomorrow, then on Thursday, and this Sunday. They will go against the West Indies next. Meanwhile, England will go against South Africa after their second series against India.
Team India currently sits second in the Men's Test Team Rankings with 3,318 points and 114 ratings after playing 29 matches. England is fourth in the ranking after playing 39 games with 3,909 points and 100 ratings. The first spot is filled by Australia with 19 matches, 2.439 points, and 128 ratings.
