Former Team India captain Kapil Dev was on the receiving end of fierce online criticism following his comments on Virat Kohli amid the premier batter's lean patch in the 2024 T20 World Cup.

Some fans called Kapil Dev's statement pathetic, while others called it disgusting.

Accusing Virat Kohli of showing fake aggression, Kapil Dev compared his on-field demeanor with Rohit Sharma, stressing that the latter doesn't jump like the former but does his job more than efficiently.

“If Virat Kohli can lift 150 kg and 250kg dumbbells, that doesn't mean Rohit should do the same. It seems like Rohit knows his game very well. He plays within himself. He is not like Virat Kohli and doesn't jump around. Rohit is aware of his limitations and there is no one better than him in that respect, not even Virat,” Kapil Dev told ABP News.

When the 1983 World Cup-winning skipper was asked to comment on Rohit Sharma's fitness levels, he responded: “Rohit has one pack and that is enough to hit big sixes.”

Also, Kapil Dev praised Rohit Sharma's leadership in the 2024 T20 World Cup, emphasizing that he was keeping everyone “happy” in the team.

“Many big players come, but they come for themselves, even do captaincy for themselves but Rohit gets one extra tick in the box because he keeps the entire team happy,” Kapil Dev noted.

Notably, Kapil Dev's statement about Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma came amid a contrasting T20 World Cup campaign for India's star players. While Virat Kohli has continued to struggle for runs in the ICC event, Rohit Sharma was on fire in India's last Super Eight clash against Australia earlier this week.

After Australia won the toss and elected to field first, Rohit Sharma came out all guns blazing despite losing his opening partner Virat Kohli for a duck in the second over of the Indian innings.

Showing aggression from the word go, Rohit Sharma took on Australia's world-class pace battery, especially Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins, to guide India to a mammoth total of 205/5 in their allocated 20 overs.

Such was Rohit Sharma's assault on Mitchell Starc that he clobbered him for four sixes and a boundary, taking 29 runs from his single over. It left Australian captain Pat Cummins scratching his head while Mitchell Starc had a feared look on his face.

During the course of his knock, which included seven fours and eight sixes, Rohit Sharma became the first cricketer to smash over 200 maximums in the 20-over format.

Besides, he surpassed his Team India teammate Virat Kohli and Pakistan skipper Babar Azam to become the leading scorer in T20Is.

After his 92-run innings, the “Hitman” has 4165 runs in T20Is while Babar Azam has 4145. The out-of-form Virat Kohli occupies the third spot in the list with 4103 runs.

In addition, Rohit Sharma's fifty against Australia came in 19 balls, which is the quickest by a skipper in the history of the T20 World Cup.

Previously, this record was held by Bangladesh's Mohammad Ashraful, who scored a half-century in 20 deliveries against the West Indies in the 2007 edition of the tournament.

On the other hand, Virat Kohli miscued a Josh Hazlewood delivery in the second over of the Indian innings. The ball went high in the air before it was comfortably taken by Australian wicketkeeper Tim David behind the stumps.

This was the second time in this year's edition of the T20 World Cup that Virat Kohli has been dismissed for naught. During the group stage of the tournament, USA's Saurabh Netravalkar sent him packing without troubling the scorers – his maiden Golden duck in the competition.

With his zero against Australia, Virat Kohli joined Ashish Nehra in an unwanted list of Indian players, who have made two ducks in a single edition of the T20 World Cup. Ashish Nehra accomplished the forgetful feat during the 2010 T20 World Cup.

The former India captain has had an agonizing 2024 T20 World Cup, to say the least.

The 35-year-old batter began his campaign in the top international T20 World Cup with a score of 1 against Ireland before failing miserably against arch-rivals Pakistan, where he was dismissed for 4.

Interestingly, it was his lowest score against the Green Army in the T20 World Cup.

In the third match for Men in Blue in the tournament, Saurabh Netravalkar, who once represented India in the U-19 World Cup, ended Virat Kohli's plans of rejuvenation, showing him the path to the pavilion after scalping for a duck.

Though Virat Kohli made a scrappy 24 off 24 deliveries against Afghanistan and 37 off 28 balls against Bangladesh in the subsequent two games, he never looked in his finest touch. Rather it appeared like he was laboring for runs in the middle.

One of the main reasons attributed to Virat Kohli's spectacular slump in form is his batting position. Throughout his international career, the premier India batter has batted at No.3 while in the T20 World Cup, he's been promoted as an opener – a position some experts, including AB de Villiers, believe has done more harm than good to his morale in the event.