It Is Unfair To Criticise Rohit Sharma Alone, Critics Going Overboard: Harbhajan Singh

Harbhajan Singh, who has played alongside Sharma, has offered him much-needed support, saying that people have gone 'overboard' with their assessment of his captaincy.

Outlook Sports Desk

Updated on: 10 July 2023 11:29 am

Rohit's decisions during the ICC WTC final received flak from many quarters after India's loss.

Despite Rohit Sharma claiming on countless occasions that criticism over his captaincy are just noises, there is no doubt he finds himself backed into a corner with that kind of a reception.

The scrutiny is always around India's failure to win an ICC tournament. The last time the Men In Blue got their hands on an ICC Trophy was in 2013.

Harbhajan Singh, who has played alongside Sharma, has offered him much-needed support on the same issue, saying that people have gone 'overboard' with their assessment of Rohit's captaincy.

India recently had the chance to silence the critics by winning the ICC World Test Championship (WTC), but ended up enduring a 209-run loss to Australia at The Oval.

The WTC final was the first instance of Sharma captaining in an ICC final. Prior to this, he had a flawless record in finals, winning 8 tournaments and titles (IPL 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019, 2020, Champions League T20 in 2013, Asia Cup and Nidahas Trophy in 2018).

Through the scrutiny, it is evident that the critics are losing patience with the wait for adding another ICC title to India's trophy cabinet.

Former India cricketer Sunil Gavaskar was one of the individuals to come down heavily on Rohit's in-game decisions, saying, "I expected more from him (Rohit). In India it is different, but when you do well overseas that is really the test. That is where he has been a little disappointing."

Former Pakistan cricketer, Salman Butt, too, criticised Sharma, claiming that everything has gone downhill for India since Virat Kohli gave up the national team's captaincy.

Harbhajan was Rohit's team-mate as a player for India as well as while playing in the Indian Premier League (IPL) for Mumbai Indians (MI).

"Team India didn't do well in WTC final, and yes, you talk about that performance and move on from there. But it is unfair to criticise Rohit alone, that he is not scoring runs, putting on weight, not captaining well. I think he is a brilliant leader," he said.

Harbhajan said now was the time when people backed Rohit and showed faith in his leadership skills.

"I have played with him (Rohit) and watched him closely. He commands a lot of respect not only in MI dressing room but also in the Indian dressing room. So I think it's unfair to judge him on basis of recent results.

"He will come good and we need to show faith in him and we need to support him rather than pinpointing that you are not doing this or that."

The captain receiving support from the top brass of the BCCI has been key to the team's success in the past. While Sourav Ganguly received words of encouragement in difficult times from Jagmohan Dalmiya, MS Dhoni found support in N Srinivasan. Virat Kohli, too, had Committee of Administrator (CoA) head, Vinod Rai, lending support during his tenure.

While Harbhajan did not question it, he sure hoped that Rohit was receiving support from the current administration headed by Jay Shah and Roger Binny.

"Rohit must be getting support from BCCI. I don't know how much support he must be getting (though). Having that kind of support will help him take right kind of decision at the right time," said the 'Turbonator'.

India will kick off their ICC World Test Championship 2023-2025 cycle with a two-match series against the West Indies. The first Test will start on July 12. The Test series will be followed by a 3-match ODI series and conclude with 5 T20I matches.