India captain Rohit Sharma's supporters mocked Virat Kohli after the International Cricket Council (ICC) named the latter the ODI Cricketer of 2023 this week.

 

Unlike Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma has won the ICC Men's Cricketer of the Year award once in 2019.

It is worth noting that no other player in the history of cricket has won five ICC awards, while Virat Kohli has already picked up with the possibility of a few more trophies not being ruled out.

Team India's batting mainstay, Virat Kohli, delivered the goods for the Rohit Sharma-led side in last year's Cricket World Cup as he emerged as the leading run-scorer in the quadrennial event.

Virat Kohli scored 765 runs with three centuries in the premier ODI competition, earning the Player of the Tournament award in the ICC World Cup.

Virat Kohli's heroics, however, failed to take India past the final hurdle as the home team lost to a rampaging Australia in the final, leaving Rohit Sharma and his colleagues in tears.

A couple of days before the opening Test against England, Virat Kohli withdrew from the first two games due to personal reasons, with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) urging the fans to request privacy.

“Mr. Virat Kohli has requested the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to be withdrawn from the first two Tests of the upcoming IDFC First Bank Test series against England, citing personal reasons,” the BCCI said in a statement.

“Virat has spoken to Captain Rohit Sharma, the team management and the selectors and has emphasized that while representing the country has always been his top priority, certain personal situations demand his presence and undivided attention. The BCCI respects his decision and the Board and team management has extended its support to the star batter and is confident in the abilities of the remaining squad members to step up and deliver commendable performances in the Test series,” the BCCI added.

“The BCCI requests the media and fans to respect Virat Kohli's privacy during this time and refrain from speculating on the nature of his personal reasons. The focus should remain on supporting the Indian cricket team as they embark on the upcoming challenges in the Test series,” the Indian board summed up.

Reports later suggested that Virat Kohli's mother, Saroj Kohli, is unwell, and that's why the premier India batter missed the consecration of the Ram Temple and Ayodhya and the first two Tests against England.

Virat Kohli's decision to pull out from the matches against England in Hyderabad and Visakhapatnam left his former Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) teammate AB de Villiers concerned.

“No one knows what has happened yet. I am sure we will get to know soon. If Virat talks about personal reasons, there must be a very good reason for that. Maybe he is also tired. He has been playing a lot of cricket. Could be family stuff. I will find out soon but I won't tell you guys. His friendship is too important to me,” AB de Villiers said on YouTube.

Noted cricket commentator Harsha Bhogle, on the other hand, opined that there must be a compelling reason for Virat Kohli to withdraw his name from the Test matches against England in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.

“If someone who is such an avid supporter of test cricket and so passionately loves playing for India chooses to miss two games, it must be a deeply compelling reason. So let us wish Virat Kohli well, hope this phase passes and that he returns happier,” Harsha Bhogle wrote on X.

After Virat Kohli decided against participating in the first two Tests against England, Rajat Patidar was added to India's 15-men squad, hinting at captain Rohit Sharma's policy of providing opportunities to young cricketers.

“We did actually think about it (picking an experienced player) but all these younger players, when are they going to get their opportunity? That's something we thought of as well,” Rohit Sharma revealed on the eve of the series opener against England in Hyderabad.

“Leaving out an experienced player, or not considering them, is very hard because of the amount of runs they have scored, the kind of experience they've had, the amount of games that they have won. It's very hard to ignore all of that but sometimes you have got to bring certain players into your set-up as well, and you have got to give them favourable conditions. You don't want to expose them or bring them on a foreign tour where they have not played before. That's the thought (process) behind all of that. It's important that we try and get some of these youngsters in whenever there is an opportunity,” Rohit Sharma summed up.