“Let’s not doubt Rohit Sharma’s ability to bounce back,” said the legendary Kapil Dev, who also felt that under-fire India skipper doesn’t need to prove himself at this stage of his career.
Rohit, who managed scores of three and six against Australia in the the Adelaide pink-ball Test after dropping down the batting order, is being criticised by fans and former players for being subdued.
India lost the game by 10 wickets in just two-and-a-half days.
“He doesn’t have to prove himself. He has done this for many, many years, so let’s not doubt somebody. I won’t doubt him. I hope his form comes back, that’s important,” Kapil said during the launch of the Vishwa Samudra Open, a PGTI event set to begin at the Delhi Golf Club on Tuesday.
Rohit had missed the opening Test due to the birth of his second child. Despite scoring most of his runs as an opener, the 37-year-old dropped down to the number six position, offering the top spot to KL Rahul, who played a pivotal role in the Perth win.
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“With one or two performances, if you doubt someone’s captaincy, I mean, just six months back when he won the T20 World Cup, you wouldn’t have asked me this question. Let it go, knowing his ability and talent, he will come back. They will come back strongly.”
Asked if it was a mistake to include young Harshit Rana in the second Test, Kapil said: “I am a nobody. How can I judge? There are people up there who have the responsibility to decide who should be in the team.
“We shouldn’t talk. My former colleagues are sitting there, and I hope they will do a good job.” In Rohit’s absence, vice-captain Jasprit Bumrah had led India to a 295-run in Perth.
Asked if Bumrah is shaping up well to take over the reins from Rohit, Kapil said: “I think it is too early to talk about that. With one performance, you can’t say he is the best, and with one bad performance, you can’t say he doesn’t deserve it.
“Let a player play a lot of cricket, take on a lot of captaincy. Ups and downs will come, and then you judge a person by how he reacts in difficult times, not in good times. In good times, we don’t have to judge. When he is down and out…”
Virat Kohli, who also looked subdued coming into the five-Test series in Australia, managed to hit his first hundred in 18 months in Perth. However, the star batter failed in the second Test with scores of seven and 11 in his two innings.
“Like Virat Kohli, he is one of the best cricketers in our country. If you put the four top batsmen, he will be there. If he is going through a rough time, it is only up to him how fast he can bounce back,” Kapil said.
Kambli needs to go back to rehab: Kapil
Former India batter Vinod Kambli has been struggling with alcohol-related and other health issues. He appeared frail during a recent public event held in memory of legendary coach Ramakant Achrekar. He was seen refusing to let go of his childhood friend Sachin Tendulkar.
Kapil expressed sadness over Kambli’s condition, emphasising the need for self-help alongside external support.
“We should all try to support him. But more than us, he has to support himself. We can’t look after anybody if that person can’t look after himself,” Kapil said.
“All the cricketers feel very sad about what we have seen. I wish his closest friends can try to get him some help, to look after himself, to go back to rehab. People do get this illness, but you have to get back to rehab.”