Rohit Sharma didn't target Ishan Kishan or Shreyas Iyer in his press conference claims former Indian cricketer

Former cricketer Aakash Chopra believes that Indian skipper Rohit Sharma’s recent comments about Test cricket weren’t aimed at any specific players. Aakash Chopra emphasized that Rohit Sharma stated that there is no lack of desire among players to play Tests.

The Indian team defeated England by five wickets in the fourth Test of the five-match series in Ranchi. The home team secured an unassailable 3-1 lead in the ongoing series. Rohit Sharma became the first skipper to win a series against England in the ‘Bazball’ era.

In the post-match press conference, Rohit Sharma spoke about the necessity of hunger for success in Test cricket. Sharma commended young players, such as Dhruv Jurel, Akash Deep, Sarfaraz Khan, and Shubman Gill, for stepping up in the absence of senior players.

Rohit Sharma Was Not Hinting At Anyone – Aakash Chopra

In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Aakash Chopra discussed remarks made by Rohit Sharma. He highlighted Rohit Sharma’s remarks on the challenges of Test cricket and the importance of discipline and dedication for success.

“Rohit Sharma has said that this is the toughest format and if you have to succeed in that, you need a lot of discipline and dedication. He also said that it’s evident if someone does not have that hunger, but he was not hinting at anyone,” Chopra said.

“If you hear his entire bite until the end, he also said that there is no one within the playing group or outside who is saying that they don’t want to play. So he was not taking potshots at anyone,” he added.

Rohit’s statement on Test cricket sparked speculation on social media, with some fans interpreting it as criticism aimed at wicketkeeper-batter Ishan Kishan, who has not participated in red-ball cricket recently after opting out of the Test series against South Africa.

The English Media Becomes Overactive – Aakash Chopra

Aakash Chopra criticized the English media’s inclination to attribute everything to Bazball. The former Indian opener emphasized the necessity of an honest evaluation, highlighting the underperformance of the middle-order batters throughout the series.

“Stokes is saying that no one had given them a chance and that they did a great job reaching here. Someone also said that adapting to the situation is Bazball’s theory. Is everything Bazball? I am not saying the team is saying that but the English media becomes overactive,” Chopra further stated.

“I would say have a little realization that you had many opportunities to be at par or go ahead in this series. Your middle order doesn’t turn up at all. The middle order is a disorder. If they do an honest assessment, they will find that the middle-order batters’ performance has been extremely ordinary.”

The Ben Stokes-led team started the series with a 28-run victory in the first Test in Hyderabad. However, the visiting team suffered a 106-run loss in the next match in Visakhapatnam. They experienced one of their biggest losses in the third Test match in Rajkot.

The English team took a 46-run first-innings lead in the fourth Test match in Ranchi. However, they squandered most of the lead and were bowled out for just 145 runs in their second innings. The home team completed the run chase with five wickets in hand.

Also read: “Get confused at times when…” – Aakash Chopra reflects on Rohit Sharma’s underutilization of Kuldeep Yadav on Day 1