Cricket is a quasi-religion in India. And our pantheon of cricketers is worshipped with a fervour bordering on hysteria. Rohit Sharma, 37, captain of the Indian cricket team, found himself in a spot during the fifth Test in Sydney, after taking a bold, controversial decision—he opted out of a key match. Shocked experts damned him. Others hailed the captain’s call. The jury is still out, with fires raging across the cricketing world.
Sunil Gavaskar was among those who showered unconditional praise. “Leaving out a player is hard enough, but to take a call to leave oneself out has to be the bravest decision taken,” he said, as wild theories swirled around Rohit’s own statement. “I have not retired, I stood down. The bat is not working.” It was a candid, unselfish self-assessment which displayed conviction and character.
But Rohit’s stance did not go down well with former Test cricketers like Sanjay Manjrekar, who reminded him, “Retirement is in your hands…. playing for India is not.” This was seen as a huge warning to a cricketer with many firsts to his name.
Rohit’s supporters added one more—he is the first Indian captain to drop himself from the playing XI in a match. Are cricket lovers not entitled to hold views that may go against the sentiments of cricket administrators, coaches and selectors? Is there no room for unprejudiced, unbiased opinions? Rohit, himself, was pretty upfront when he explained his stance. “I am a sensible man, a mature man, father of two children, I know what I need in life. I am not going to take myself out of the game.’’ That left critics asking, “What if the game takes itself out of Rohit?’’ That’s a legitimate concern, given the team’s abysmal performance Down Under, which was topped by the controversy over Gavaskar being left out of the presentation ceremony of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
Rohit is not “theatre”, the way the dashing Virat Kohli has always been. He does not possess Kohli’s “rizz’’ or natural swag, but he brings dependable solidity and sobriety—on and off the field. Rohit delivers. Or, used to. His track record is filled with glory, particularly as captain of the 2024 Men’s T20 World Cup winning team.
Rohit is considered as one of the best batsmen of his generation and one of the greatest white ball opening batters of all time. One well-timed or ill-timed (depends on which side of the debate you are on) decision cannot obliterate these feats. But such is the manic pace at which cricket is played these days, our overworked men in blue receive no respite, either from the game or criticism. Insiders say it all comes down to money—there’s so much of it riding on each performance. These men are athletes, not super humans. Their bodies need restoration between fixtures. But, today, they are flogged without any deeper thought invested in their mental and physical well-being. They are simply not allowed to step off the punishing treadmill—the same one that guarantees wealth and fame. But what a price to pay!
The Rohit I have briefly glimpsed is when he visits his in-laws who live downstairs. His conduct has been consistently polite and devoid of any fuss. Rohit is not a compulsive attention-seeker. Nor has he let success go to his head. He behaves like a well brought up gentleman, a loving husband and father. Respect! Know that you are loved!
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