The supporters of Team India captain Rohit Sharma slammed his predecessor Virat Kohli after legendary Kapil Dev praised the latter's fitness while making disparaging remarks about the former on Thursday.
Questioning Rohit Sharma's fitness standards, Kapil Dev termed the Nagpur-born cricketer overweight. He then urged him to improve his fitness to remain injury-free for a long time.
The legendary all-rounder also compared Rohit Sharma's fitness level with the talismanic Virat Kohli and asked him to take inspiration from his Team India colleague if he needed to spend extra hours in the gym.
“It is very important (to be fit). More so for a captain. It's a shame if you are not fit. Rohit needs to put some hard work on it. He is a great batter but when you talk about his fitness, he looks a bit overweight, at least on TV. Yes, it's different when you look at someone on TV and then in real life. But from whatever I see, Rohit is a great player and a great captain, but he needs to get fit. Look at Virat, whenever you see him, you say, ‘that's some fitness!',” Kapil Dev said during a chat with ABP News.
Surprisingly, Kapil Dev's harsh comments about Rohit Sharma's fitness come at a time when the 35-year-old is in the midst of a purple patch with the bat, having scored an ODI and Test hundred in the past month.
A couple of weeks ago, Rohit Sharma became the first player in international cricket to score a century across all formats, both as a batter and a captain.
The India captain accomplished the landmark with his majestic knock of 120 off 212 deliveries against Australia during the first Test at the Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium in Nagpur.
Following his match-winning century in Nagpur, Rohit Sharma led his boys to another victory over the Australians, this time in Delhi, ensuring a 2-0 lead in the four-match Border Gavaskar Trophy.
Despite his recent success as captain and batter, Kapil Dev wasn't impressed with Rohit Sharma and criticized him for looking “overweight”.
But Kapil Dev's remarks, praising Virat Kohli for his fitness regimen while hitting out at Rohit Sharma, weren't liked by netizens who highlighted the Delhi-born cricketer's poor numbers with the bat, particularly in Tests.
On the other hand, a few argued that there was no point in having a lean and mean physique if he was not performing on the field, both as a batter and a fielder, alluding to Virat Kohli's recent dropped catches against Australia.
Fit Virat in last 20 tests – 26 Average
Unfit Rohit last 20 tests – 55 Average 🥱— Ritikardo Di Caprio (@ThandaPeg) February 23, 2023
That Overweight Guy Single-handedly Carried Indian Team In WC 19 & Is Still Carrying Team India On His Own And On The Other Hand, Fitness Freaks Are Just A Burden On The Team Since Last 4-5 Years.#RohitSharma𓃵 • @ImRo45 https://t.co/obmP63I2g8 pic.twitter.com/mwn3fJT7ZW
— Shailendra Mishra (@imShail_3) February 23, 2023
That's some fitness 🤡 pic.twitter.com/Q7Wbcmsuwh
— Wanderer (@Wanderer264264) February 23, 2023
Rohit Sharma is more fitter than 6 pack chamiya pic.twitter.com/2AzaEZYsP7
— CricketGoats (@CricketOpy) February 23, 2023
Focus on cricket. Focus on fitness pic.twitter.com/K7v8k5ll6u
— jack-Ahmed.hitman (@fatherofbola) February 23, 2023
This isn't the first time Kapil Dev has riled Indian fans with his statements on Rohit Sharma.
In January, the 64-year-old former cricketer opined that Rohit Sharma would not lead India to World Cup glory because of fitness issues.
“There’s no shortcoming in Rohit Sharma. He has everything but I personally think, there is a huge question mark over his fitness. Is he fit enough? Because a captain should be someone who motivates the other players to get fitter, the teammates should feel proud of their captain,” Kapil Dev said.
The former India captain stressed if Rohit Sharma’s fitness levels improved considerably, it will motivate the youngsters to work even harder.
“I can say with surety that there is a huge doubt over Rohit’s fitness. There has been a lot of criticism that he hasn’t scored that many runs since he has become captain, I kind of agree with it but I don’t think there is any issue with his cricketing skills. He is a very successful cricketer. If he gets fitter, the entire team will rally around him,” Kapil Dev added.
Days ago, Kapil Dev caused a furor in India by suggesting that Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli will not be able to power India to the World Cup title this year.
The 50-over World Cup will take place in India in October-November. After last year’s T20 World Cup debacle in Australia, the pressure is mounting on the Men in Blue to finally end their long wait for an ICC title, which has now extended to 9 years.
India last won a World Cup title in 2011, and their last ICC trophy came in 2013 in England, both under the leadership of the great MS Dhoni. Since then, the Indians have failed to breach the semifinal barrier, losing at that stage on multiple occasions, most recently in the T20 World Cup to England in Adelaide in 2022.
“If you want to win the World Cup, the coach, selectors, and team management will have to make some tough decisions. Personal interests will have to take a backseat and they will need to think about the team. If you think Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and 2-3 players will win us the World Cup then that’s never going to happen. You should believe in your team. Do we have such a team? Definitely. Do we have certain match winners? Yes, of course! We have players who can win the World Cup,” Kapil Dev told a local media outlet.
“There are always a couple of players who turn out to be the pillars of your side. The team revolves around them but we need to break that and build at least 5-6 players like that. That’s why I say, you can’t depend on Virat and Rohit. You need players who fulfill each of their responsibilities. The youngsters will need to come forward and say ‘it is our time’,” he elaborated.
“The biggest positive is that the World Cup will happen in India. Nobody knows the conditions better than we do. For the last 8-10 years, Rohit and Virat have been two of the most important cricketers for India. Many have started to ask the question if this will be Virat and Rohit’s last World Cup. I believe they can play but they will need to work really hard. Fitness will play a key role. There are a lot of youngsters coming up, will they be able to compete with them? There is a question mark but it depends on how they want to play their game. There is no shortage of ability,” Kapil Dev noted.
Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma last featured for India in the second Test against Australia in Delhi, which the home side won by six wickets.
The celebrated duo will be back in action next week in Indore, where the hosts will take on Australia in the third Test on March 1.
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