New Delhi, Jan 11 Indian top order batters Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma have borne a majority of the brunt for India’s 1-3 defeat in the recently-concluded 2024/25 Border Gavaskar Trophy series in Australia. However, former South African great Jonty Rhodes has backed the duo, claiming that India’s two series victory in Australia have resulted in the fans forgetting the conditions are tough in Down Under.
"Everybody's entitled to their opinion. Cricket is that kind of game and I think the cricket players themselves in this day and age, there is no escape from the public, whether it's fans who love them or fans who are criticizing them with social media, journalism these days. Everybody seems to be a cricketing expert and players learn to live with that.
“Touring Australia is really tough. And I think maybe the Indian fans have forgotten that because India have been so successful in the past in their last two tours to Australia. But it wasn't easy. You know, some great performances by the team almost resurrected the previous tours. And it didn't quite happen this time around so to lay the blame at the feet of two people is harsh,” Rhodes told IANS.
Kohli began the series on a high, scoring a century in the second innings of the opening Test in Perth. However, his form dipped drastically and he ended up with 190 runs, and was dismissed eight times while chasing balls outside off-stump. On the other hand, Rohit, who missed the Perth Test because of the birth of his second child, managed only 31 runs in three Tests, before opting to rest for the fifth Test in Sydney.
The duo will be heavily under the spotlight when they take part in the 2025 Champions Trophy set to take place in February. The tournament, after much uncertainty, will be played in a hybrid model, after India refused to travel to Pakistan for the tournament. Rhodes refused to comment on the internal politics but claimed that as a fan of the game, he is glad the parties involved reached a compromise.
“Fortunately I'm not really involved in the politics of cricket. I'm a big fan of the game and I'm just happy that India are going to be playing Pakistan in this Champions Trophy. Because that sort of game, if it's not taking place, we all as fans lose out a great deal,” he said.
Rhodes also lauded Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who was in attendance at the Viksit Bharat Young Leaders Dialogue and National Youth Festival. The former South Africa great hailed the PM's efforts to build a strong foundation for the future.
The discussion was held at Bharat Mandapam and brought close to 3,000 people, from different fields, from all across the country in what was a truly innovative experience.
"It's got the support of the public because you've seen real backing from the government. And it's not just lip service. When the PM says he's going to do something, he jumps right in. And the fact that the youth of India have this opportunity to speak directly to the head of government, it doesn't happen in many places around the world.
“So I think it's a great initiative. I think the PM also understands that to get to where he wants to, Viksit Bharat 2047, needs a strong foundation and the youth are the foundation of 2047. So he's starting at the right place,” he added.
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