Rohit Sharma continues to be the talking point in India’s cricketing circles. Ahead of the BCCI meeting yesterday, there was plenty of chatter on social media about Rohit and how his future would be a topic of discussion. A report also suggested that he had apparently agreed to give up during the ODI series in England.
The truth is straightforward. Rohit will be a part of the India-West Indies series on the basis of his performances. And once he is picked, which he will be, it is Rohit who will have the agency over his future. If he continues to score runs, how can anyone contemplate dropping him? This applies to any player. If he scores and bats well, he stays. If he fails – not in one game, but over a slew of games – he has to make way. It is his bat that will decide his future, not trolls or media personalities who want to live their lives on social media.
I also read a report claiming that Rohit had angrily conceded to giving up in England. The question to whoever wrote the piece is: how are they even aware of Rohit’s emotions? Did they speak to Rohit? Was it ever corroborated, or was it simply kite-flying for social media numbers?
I was in England and happened to meet Rohit multiple times during the ODI series. I first met him at Edgbaston and not once did he mention retirement. Rather, he was fully focussed on making a tangible contribution, and retirement was never on the horizon as far as Rohit was concerned. Even when the rumour had consumed social media in Cardiff, Rohit did not seem fazed by it. He was intent on getting ready for Lord’s and doing what he was tasked to do. And then came the Lord’s hundred. My point is that even during the first two games, not once did Rohit give a whiff of wanting to give up.
Since coming back, I have spoken to Rohit a couple of times, and each time it has been about his training. The man is fully focussed on getting ready for the job at hand – focussed on scoring runs and making a tangible contribution to the team’s cause. He has worked extremely hard for it and continues to do so every single day.
Rohit’s future will not be decided by journalists or social media junkies. His future will be decided by Rohit himself and will ultimately depend on his ability to score runs for India. He cannot be put under the spotlight in every series; that is unfair. It cannot be that he is in the spotlight every time he steps out to bat. Like others, he needs to be given his space, and only if he fails in a few games on the trot should questions be asked.
He has earned this right for himself, and it is time we focus on how he bats rather than asking when he will retire. While such talk might make for good social media engagement, it is not really helping Indian cricket.
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