Virat Kohli-Rohit Sharma's critics taken to the cleaners in recent explosion

Former Indian cricketer and well-known commentator Navjot Singh Sidhu has lashed out at the critics of struggling batting icons Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma after 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 he failed to carry forward the momentum and finished with only 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 was more woeful with the bat, scoring just 31 runs in three Tests.

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They have been facing backlash for their poor tour, as Australia defeated India 3-1 to reach the WTC Final 2025 and also lifted the Border-Gavaskar Trophy after 10 years. Amidst the heavy criticism, Navjot Singh Sidhu defended Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma by saying that even great players went through bad patches.

He stressed that Kohli and Rohit’s long-standing contributions to Indian cricket cannot be overlooked because of a few months of poor form. Sidhu reminded everyone of past cricket legends like Mark Taylor, Mohammad Azharuddin, and Sourav Ganguly, who faced extended periods of failure but eventually bounced back.

It takes just one inning for me to come back: Navjot Singh Sidhu

He stressed that it only takes one good innings to return to form and backed the duo to come back strongly. Navjot Singh Sidhu was quoted as saying by Sports Tak: “You know, someone's bad form has come for two months. You can't delete it. The services he's been performing for so long, I know that you cannot rest on your laurels."

"You have to refresh them with new ones. But you have to give allowance. Mark Taylor kept failing for one and a half years. Persistent. Azharuddin kept failing. Ganguly failed in 8 innings. And he said, I can fail in 8 innings, but it takes just one inning for me to come back.”

The cricket pundit further highlighted that just six months ago, both Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli led India to the ICC T20 World Cup 2024 and reminded everyone that cricket is a team game, and blaming individual players is easy. He urged everyone to have faith in both of the Indian batting icons.

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We must learn to respect our heroes like Virat Kohli: Navjot Singh Sidhu

Sidhu noted, “It's a team game. Blaming is the easiest thing. It's easy to hit stones. But some people make their homes from the stones that the world hits.” The former Indian cricketer-turned-politician emphasized that Virat Kohli has faced challenges before, and it’s wrong to involve his personal life in public criticism.

He urged people to respect heroes like Kohli and have patience. Sidhu reminded everyone that tough times are a part of every player's journey, and just like stars shine brightest on the darkest nights, Kohli will rise again through his struggles.

Sidhu signed off by saying, “These are such people. This is not the first time that Virat Kohli has been in crisis. This is not the first time that his wife is dragged in between. Right? This is wrong. We must learn to respect our heroes. Have some patience. And, I mean, you will understand. Look, the darker the night, the brighter the star. So, I think that these were three eras. And in these eras too, everyone had a bad time.”