Former Indian cricketer and well-known commentator Navjot Singh Sidhu has hit out at critics of struggling batting icons Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma after their poor performance in the recent Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 in Australia.
Virat Kohli, who has an impressive Test record in Australia, started the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy with an unbeaten century in the first Test, but failed to continue the momentum and finished with just 190 runs in the five-match Test. series.
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 rested himself for the final Test against Australia. The Indian skipper has been even more woeful with the bat, scoring just 31 runs in three Tests.
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They faced backlash for their poor tour, with Australia defeating India 3-1 to reach the 2025 WTC final and also lifting the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 10 years later. Amidst heavy criticism, Navjot Singh Sidhu defended Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma by saying that even great players go through bad periods.
He stressed that Kohli and Rohit's long-term contributions to Indian cricket cannot be overlooked due to the poor performances that have continued for several months. Sidhu reminded everyone of previous cricket legends like Mark Taylor, Mohammad Azharuddin and Sourav Ganguly, who faced long periods of failure but eventually came back.
He stressed that it only takes one good round to return to his level and support the duo to return strongly. “You know, someone has had a bad situation for two months,” Navjot Singh Sidhu was quoted as saying by Sports Talk. You cannot delete it. “The services he has been performing for so long, I know you can't rest on your laurels.”
“You have to freshen them up with new ones. But you have to make an allowance. Mark Taylor kept failing for a year and a half. Continuing. Azharuddin kept failing. Ganguly failed in 8 innings. He said, 'I can fail in 8 innings,' but it only takes one inning.” Just until I come back.
The cricket expert also highlighted that just six months ago, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli led India to the ICC T20 World Cup 2024 and reminded everyone that cricket is a team game and it is easy to blame individual players. He urged everyone to have faith in both Indian batting icons.
Sidhu pointed out: “It is a team game. Blame is the easiest thing. It is easy to hit stones. 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 faced challenges before, and it is wrong to involve His personal life is under public criticism.
He urged people to respect heroes like Kohli and be patient. Sidhu reminded everyone that tough times are part of every player's journey and just as stars shine on the darkest nights, Kohli will once again rise through his struggles.
Sidhu signed off by saying: “These are these people. This is not the first time Virat Kohli has faced a crisis. This is not the first time his wife has been dragged in between them. Right? This is wrong. We must learn to respect our heroes. Have some patience. And I mean you You will understand. See, the darker the night, the brighter the star. So, I think these were three eras and in these eras too, everyone was going through difficult times.