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Regular India captain Rohit Sharma was at the receiving end of social media criticism after he posted a message for opening batter Ishan Kishan who made history against Bangladesh on Saturday.
During the weekend, Ishan Kishan became the fourth India batter to score a double ton in One-Day Internationals. Ishan Kishan achieved the milestone with his sensational 210-run-knock off 131 deliveries against Bangladesh in the third ODI in Chattogram.
Before him, the legendary Sachin Tendulkar, the explosive Virender Sehwag, and Rohit Sharma achieved the feat. Notably, Rohit Sharma is the only cricketer in the world who has made three double centuries to his name in ODIs.
“Yeh club ka mazza alag hai, @ishankishan23,” Rohit Sharma said in his Instagram post that featured a picture of Ishan Kishan erupting in joy after completing his maiden double hundred.
Though Rohit Sharma welcomed Ishan Kishan to the special club, Team India supporters didn't like what he wrote in the caption of his post.
Some claimed that as Ishan Kishan was an opener, he was now “insecure” about his position in the team, while others labeled him a “disgrace” to the country.
Another set of cricket fans termed him self-obsessed while a few declared that his message for Ishan Kishan was reeking of jealousy.
Haa iss club me jealousy , insecurity, inconsistency , lappebaazi sab hoti hai 😭😭
— z (@yxsh95) December 11, 2022
Rather than appreciating Ishan Kishan's innings that insecure captain prefers telling his own achievement.
Such a disgrace to our country.
— VIRATIAN (@EliteTestKaptan) December 11, 2022
Rohit has another club too..
Escaping foreign tours and covering with injuries club..— Vamshi virat (@vamshivirat1817) December 11, 2022
Don't worry Ro. He's gonna replace you soon.
Lets see how much days you can play with captaincy quota.
— VIRATIAN (@EliteTestKaptan) December 11, 2022
Self Obsessed
— VK¹⁸🇱🇰™ (@vk18fansl) December 11, 2022
Attention seeker motu 😭
— 𝐕𝐚𝐫𝐮𝐧 (@vase556) December 11, 2022
Incidentally, Ishan Kishan could only be included in India's playing XI only after Rohit Sharma got injured in the previous game, something a section of fans repeatedly pointed out on social media.
The main reason behind the discussion on this topic was India's recent lack of intent and approach in limited-overs cricket. India's top-order, especially the three openers, Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, and Shikhar Dhawan in T20Is and ODIs have faced severe flak for their slow batting in the first 10 overs.
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Both the team's admirers and former cricketers have criticized their lack of aggressive play because according to them it puts additional pressure on the middle order and urged the BCCI to make wholesome changes in the side.
After Ishan Kishan hit his maiden double hundred at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in Chattogram, many fans claimed that Indian selectors needed to phase out seniors if the Men in Blue wished to win next year's ODI World Cup at home.
Some Team India supporters even said that Ishan Kishan's innings exposed the “sad reality of Indian cricket” because if it wasn't for Rohit Sharma's injury, the young left-hand batter wouldn't have got the opportunity to play the third ODI against Bangladesh.
It was also the quickest double century in the 50-over format as Ishan Kishan reached the milestone in only 126 deliveries, while the former record holder West Indies great Chris Gayle got there in 138 balls against Zimbabwe in 2015.
Additionally, Ishan Kishan went past Rohit Sharma's long-standing record to become the youngest double-centurion in the 50-over format. While Ishan Kishan made his maiden double hundred at the age of 24 years and 145 days, Rohit Sharma did it when he was 26 years and 186 days old against the mighty Australians in Bengaluru in 2013.
After Bangladesh asked India to bat first, the visitors lost senior batter, Shikhar Dhawan, early in the innings as he walked back to the pavilion for just 3 off 8 balls.
However, Ishan Khan then took center stage as he and former captain Virat Kohli stitched together a blistering 200-plus partnership for the second wicket to put India in command.
Though Virat Kohli eventually got out for 113 off 91 deliveries, his first ODI hundred since August 2019, Ishan Kishan stole the limelight from him due to his blistering double ton.
Among other records, Ishan Kishan now holds the record for the highest score by a visiting batter in Bangladesh, overtaking former Australian cricketer Shane Watson who smashed an unbeaten 185 in the South Asian nation in 2011.
Ishan Kishan also pipped former BCCI president and India captain, Sourav Ganguly, to become the side's top scorer in an away match as an opener. Sourav Ganguly had smacked 183 against Sri Lanka during the 1999 World Cup in England.
Although Ishan Kishan's historic knock earned him widespread appreciation from fans and pundits alike, former India batter Ajay Jadeja's remarks stood out. He went on to dub him ‘Mr. 361' of cricket.
“This generation has grown on this. They are in any case comfortable doing this, but to carry that for such a long time, we see that very less in this generation. Everyone plays such shots these days, don't call only Suryakumar Yadav Mr. 360,” Ajay Jadeja said.
“He(Ishan Kishan) is Mr. 361 because he plays 360-degree and scores a double hundred. He also scored in front of and behind the wickets. This generation has the shot-making ability but the ability to take that innings so long, very people have that what he showed,” the former India cricketer concluded.
