Rohit Sharma reiterates Team India’s faith in Virat Kohli’s ability | Cricket News – Times of India

On Thursday, Rohit once again jumped to Kohli’s defence after the former skipper was out cheaply in the second ODI at Lord’s. Kohli had started off in good nick, stroking three crisp fours before nibbling at a David Willey delivery outside the off-stump and getting out caught behind.
“Virat Kohli ke baare mein kaafi charcha ho rahi hai (a lot is being talked about Virat Kohli),” a reporter began his question, before Rohit interrupted him and said, “Kyu ho rahi hi, yaar? Mujhe toh samajh mein nahi aata bhai. Khair, puuuchiye (why is he being discussed? I don’t understand it. Anyway, carry on).”

Rohit reiterated Team India‘s faith in Kohli’s ability. “He has played so many matches for so many years. He has been such a great batsman, so he does not need reassurance. I think I said in the last press conference as well that form can go up and down. That is part and parcel of all the players’ career. This happens with everyone. So a player who has won so many matches needs only one or two innings. This is what I believe and I am sure the others feel the same way,” Rohit said.
“People keep talking about his form but we should realise that performances can always fluctuate, but the quality of a player will never deteriorate. The guy has scored so many centuries, you look at his average. So he has the experience. But every player has gone through bad matches. There is no player who has played and always scored runs. A slump is inevitable, even in personal life,” Rohit asserted.

Buttler too stands by Kohli
For all his struggles on this tour and run-in with Jonny Bairstow during the fifth Test in Birmingham, Kohli still hasn’t lost the respect of the English team. On Thursday, Rohit’s counterpart Jos Buttler too had kind words for the 33-year-old, saying that his “low scores prove that Kohli is human”.

“I suppose in a little way it’s quite refreshing for the rest of us that he (Kohli) is human and he can have a couple of low scores as well, but look he has been one of the best players, if not the best player in ODI cricket in the world. So he’s been a fantastic player for so many years and all batters, it just proves, go through runs of form where they don’t perform as well as they can do sometimes, but certainly as an opposition captain, you know a player of that class is always due, so you’re hoping that it doesn’t come against us,” said Buttler.

The way forward
With interest around a bilateral white-ball series, Rohit said a tri-nations or quadrangular tournament could be the way forward for the game.
“I do think it is important but it can be managed in a better way for sure. The scheduling has to be done with some space as well. You have to play bilateral series. There was a time, when we were kids, I grew up, I watched a lot of tri-series or quadrangular series, but that has completely stopped,” Rohit said. “I think that can be a way forward so that there is enough time for a team to recover and get back. These all are high-pressure games we play.”