Star value and importance of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma is much more than Gautam Gambhir

The outpouring of emotions over India losing the BGT Series to Australia in Sydney on Sunday is nothing to be shocked about. Blame game is the easiest thing. Owning up mistakes is important. Sadly, captain Jasprit Bumrah was in no position to own up to any mistakes. He had flogged his own body to such an extent and pushed so hard, he broke down. Bagging 32 wickets in the series was defining, just that when he was needed on the last day, his body did not respond, his back had packed up.

To be sure, Bumrah needs no sympathy. If anyone knows him, he will fight back, that defines the smiling superstar. Perhaps, the most difficult phase for any athlete is dealing with a physical breakdown. This time, being overloaded and over-bowled he now faces trauma. How many people will care to ask how fast and when Bumrah will recover. Is it just a back spasm or more, nobody knows . Can he get a 100 per cent fit? It’s next to impossible to be a 100 per cent fit, you can check with even Olympic legends Abhinav Bindra and Neeraj Chopra. The lone exception, perhaps, would be PR Sreejesh. But then, everyone cannot be Sree Anna.

The way coach Gautam Gamhir spoke at the press conference on Sunday, it showed him as insensitive. He blamed failures, he hinted Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli have to take a call on their own careers. No coach can tell these two legends, now out of form to get lost. They will go when they want to. Knowing Virat, he will back off from international cricket the day he wants. As regards Rohit, he has not said anything which points towards retirement. Form is temporary, class is permanent. It is true. To ask them to go and play first class cricket will not help resolve issues. What they need is a confidence booster. Kohli knows his outside the off-stump dismissal is now as lousy as plague. He has to and will sort it out on his own. This coaching staff led by Gambhir does not have a single guy who can help out Kohli.

Let’s go back to how Paddy Upton helped out Gukesh Dommaraju to win the World Chess Championship in Singapore. Kohli also needs a sports psycho analyst. In terms of fitness, he is a marvel. Where he needs help is in how to deal with a dip in confidence, how ageing does slow down a batter in many ways. It’s something very natural. Even Viru Sehwag lost his hand-eye coordination and became a sitting duck in the last part of his career. Luckily for Kohli, he will keep competing, surely will be in the Champions Trophy side. The same for Rohit, who will lead. Whoever leads in the BCCI as well, to tell these two legends ‘get lost’ is not going to happen. If anything, Gambhir and his motley mix are under the scanner. Sunny Gavaskar pointed it out very well. Gambhir needs to realise, even someone as cerebral as Ravi Shastri was dumped. Age and inability to win an ICC Trophy was held against Shastri . That’s how brutal the BCCI was with him.

This week, a few new office bearers will be taking charge in the BCCI as secretary and treasurer. For those who think these officials will call the shots, don’t get fooled. The BCCI has been controlled by bigwigs, and to say it is politically controlled would be stating the obvious. If you flip through the history of Indian cricket administration, each President and Secretary has been someone big. So, to think the BCCI will sack Kohli or Rohit is madness. At the same time, Gambhir himself needs to realise, he is also a political appointee. But then, when one compares ‘star values’ of Gambhir, Kohli and Rohit Sharma, everyone knows what the pecking order is.

There is no need to ruffle feathers. As ‘brands’ with mass following and more, Kohli and Rohit are a class apart. They have been inspirational and are valued. To throw out a coach is easier than these legends!