Aftab Shivdasani applauds Virat Kohli for his reply to question on Rohit Sharma’s place in Team India: ‘Respect’

Aftab Shivdasani applauded Virat Kohli for dismissing a question on Rohit Sharma at a press conference after Sunday’s India vs Pakistan match at the ongoing T20 World Cup 2021. Virat laughed it off as a journalist asked if he should have considered playing Ishan Kishan ahead of Rohit Sharma, who got out for a duck on the very first ball he faced.

“That’s a very brave question. What do you think, sir? I played the team that I thought was the best. What is your opinion? Will you drop Rohit Sharma from T20 Internationals? You know what he did in the last game that we played?” Virat said. He then laughed and added, “Unbelievable! Sir, if you want controversy, please tell me before, so I can answer accordingly.”

Sharing a video of Virat’s answer, Aftab wrote on Twitter, “Respect. That’s how leaders should conduct themselves. @imVkohli.” He also added clapping emojis.

Pakistan won by 10 wickets on Sunday, registering their first-ever victory against India in a World Cup tournament.

Aftab also came out in support of Mohammad Shami, who has been at the receiving end of trolling and online abuse after India’s loss against Pakistan. Retweeting a tweet by commentator Harsha Bhogle, which said that fans abusing Shami should stop watching cricket, Aftab wrote, “I second that. Shami has always given 100% for India and doesn’t deserve this. #IStandWithShami.”

Aftab watched the India vs Pakistan game live in Dubai. He shared pictures of himself at the stadium and tweeted, “Heart is bleeding blue at the moment. They don’t call it the mother of all games for nothing. Jai Hind #indvspak #icct20worldcup #grateful #dubai.” Other stars who watched the match from the stands included Akshay Kumar, Preity Zinta and Ankita Lokhande.