Rohit Sharma targets Indian commentators, labels them ‘agenda-driven’
New Delhi: Despite his popularity, Indian ODI captain Rohit Sharma has faced criticism from commentators and journalists, particularly since assuming his leadership role. Reflecting on his career, Sharma, now 38, noted a shift in the cricket industry, observing a growing emphasis on sensationalism over the pure sport itself.
Rohit contrasted Indian and Australian cricket commentary in an interview with Vimal Kumar, expressing significant disappointment with the quality of commentary he observed in India.
“We see everything, we talk to each other. Sometimes when we are watching the match on TV, the kind of things commentators talk about is much different from the kind of commentary you see in Australia. Here, it is so disappointing. I am being very honest. It seems like they just want to target a player and speak about him. This is very disappointing,” Rohit said during the interview.
A former Test cricketer, recently retired, commented that while criticism of a player’s poor performance is acceptable, commentators should exercise restraint in their critiques.
“There are a lot of people who love the game. They don’t want ‘masala’, they want to watch cricket. In today’s times, we put a lot of masala in the game. There are cricket lovers too who want to know more about the game, and understand why a player’s form is bad. They don’t want to hear about personal stuff. Just because you have the right to speak, doesn’t mean you’ll say anything. Respect the players. I even said at a few places that everyone who has been part of these World Cups deserves great respect. It’s not a joke to win 23 out of 24 matches, no matter how it happened,” Rohit asserted.
Rohit believes that constructive criticism of player performance has been overshadowed by biased commentary in the current climate.
“Yes, there have been things where it has gone out of our hands. We didn’t do well in some instances, where we deserve criticism. No problem. We lost to New Zealand at home, we deserve criticism. But there’s a way to criticize someone. Today, agenda-driven criticism is being done here. It is not so likable,” he added.
Rohit stated he prefers focusing on offense rather than defense when responding to criticism.
“To handle criticism is important in a sportsperson’s life. I understand that. But, it’s unnecessary criticism that I am against. Such things weren’t needed. I see people say a lot about me, some say that I get out to left-arm seamers. If I go out defending that, I’ll do a lot of things wrong. My time is very precious, don’t want to waste my time defending myself. Attacking is what my work is. It’s better to show what you want to on the field, not outside,” he said.
News