Rohit Sharma is now a villain, not hero!

The knives are out for Rohit Sharma. Four months ago, there was a stampede in Mumbai when the Men in Blue were felicitated when they returned from the West Indies with the ICC T20 World Cup. An open top bus paraded them, from the airport to the Marine Drive. It climaxed at the Wankhede Stadium, where the BCCI feted them. The same stadium on Sunday (November 3) was booing Rohit Sharma, though, not baying for his blood.

If that is a consolation, Rohit was sorry at the press conference after a historic 0-3 Test series loss to the Black Caps. Rohit being apologetic means nothing. The cry is shrill, people are questioning Rohit, his captaincy, his abject batting failure and the inability to defeat the Kiwis. What began as a nightmare in Bengaluru, when he made a wrong choice to bat after winning the toss under darks skies saw India lose. Pune was a turning track and India had not tuned up for it. Mumbai was agony, a disaster, the match ending in less than three days. Crowds showed up, which is good for Test cricket as an advertisement. What they got to see was a shame. Rohit’s own batting in the series was pathetic, consistent, not with runs but failures. Is this a curse or temporary thing none knows.

His heart is in the sport, maybe not his mind. At this point of time, when it is almost a foregone conclusion India will not make the ICC Test Championship final, Rohit has set the cat among the pigeons by saying he is unsure if he will play the first Test in Perth, November 22. His wife is expecting and Rohit wants to be around. Seeking paternity leave is no sin but in Indian sport, notably cricket, everything comes under scrutiny. The trophy Rohit won for India in the West Indies is forgotten. Now, fans, friends and foes are ready to throw him under the bus. Why? He has failed to score runs and he has not led India in the Tests admirably. This is Indian sport, everything is questionable. There is no reasoning, no sense of proportion. If there was a kangaroo court in operation, they would suggest hang Rohit – not literally.

Think of what Rohit is undergoing, for a change. He must be feeling miserable the series has been a disaster. Mind you, he has not given excuses, he has admitted what went wrong and nothing can be done about it. Grant him some concessions, please. Is captaincy like signing up for a job in the Defence Forces, where leave is not granted necessarily? After all, jawans and officers have to stand vigil at the borders. So, Rohit Sharma is also like them, he has to play, come what may. 

Rohit has spoken to the BCCI about it. But, yes, given the script gone wrong awfully, it is the BCCI which should think of naming a full-time captain for the five-Test series in Australia. If legend  Jasprit Bumrah is the vice-captain, it is but obvious, he will lead the side. Why not name him skipper for the whole series and spare Rohit the agony. Rewind to the 2020-21 series when India toured Australia. King Kohli also took paternity leave from the BCCI. He played one Test and then Ajinkya Rahane took over and led with panache, in a memorable series victory.

Why cannot the BCCI spare Rohit the blushes. Does he not deserve peace of mind, time with his family and wait for the arrival of his child? Fans are passionate at the same time crazy. They only want wins, not defeats. It is inhuman to think a team will always win. The woes do not end here. Rohit’s batting failures have now earned him comments like: “Cannot play spin.” Jeez, then how did he survive all these years in international cricket and the IPL. People say IPL is club cricket and in white ball cricket, spinners are not that effective. That’s wrong. Spinner play in the IPL and do well. Yes, in Test cricket, the dynamics change.

These days, there are digital trackers which tell you how many degrees spin there is in a ball after it pitches. Is that something new? Did not the ball turn sharply when EAS Prasanna, Bishan Bedi, B.Chandrashekhar and S.Venkataraghavan bowled long spells in yesteryears. The worst part is, even those who played cricket at the highest level are now castigating Rohit Sharma with the microphone in their hands. If he can’t play spin, drop him.