'Kohli ko iske liye hi gaali padti thi' - Fans react as Harbhajan Singh comes out in support of Rohit Sharma amidst captaincy criticism

Harbhajan Singh & Rohit Sharma (Source: Twitter)

While Rohit Sharma has been receiving a lot of flak for his not-so-impressive captaincy for Team India, former India spinner Harbhajan Singh has come out in support of him. When Rohit took over as the captain, succeeding Virat Kohli, everyone expected him to help India end their wait for a major tournament title. But the 10-year wait continues, as India under Sharma managed only a few bilateral series wins and the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

Former India cricketer Sunil Gavaskar was the most recent to criticise Sharma, pointing out his shortcomings as a captain. The Mumbai Indians skipper guided his team to five Indian Premier League (IPL) titles but failed to repeat the feat with the national side. The Asia Cup 2022, last year's T20 World Cup, and the 2023 World Test Championship final were the major events where India could not taste success in the recent past.

"I find that people are going a bit overboard... the way Rohit has been criticised. Cricket is a team sport and one individual cannot take you from one place to other. Team India didn't do well in WTC final, and yes, you talk about that performance and move on from there. But it is unfair to criticise Rohit alone, that he is not scoring runs, putting on weight, not captaining well. I think he is a brilliant leader," Harbhajan told news agency PTI.

I don't know how much support he must be getting: Harbhajan 

The veteran spinner also highlighted the importance of support from the Indian Cricket Board for a captain. Bhajji feels that all previous captains have received great support from the board and this helps a captain to take the right decisions.

"If you have the support from Indian Cricket Board, you can work freely. Not just MS Dhoni or Virat Kohli, if you go back a little further, a lot of captains have got support from board presidents of that time. Rohit must be getting support from the board. I don't know how much support he must be getting (though). Having that kind of support will help him take right kind of decision at the right time. He will get that liberty if he has that support. Support must be there for Rohit like the board has given it to all its captains," the 43-year-old concluded.

Here's how fans reacted to Harbhajan Singh's statement: 

Criticism of chokit is not even 1% of criticism what kohli went through

— Haider Khan 🇮🇳💚 (@ind_iw0) July 10, 2023

Rule should be equal for all. But when it comes for Kohli,then he is responsible for every unwanted result whether it is International cricket or IPL,but when it comes for Rohit it is team effort.What a logic!

— Pradyot Das (@PradyotDas4) July 10, 2023

If he wins the title, he is a good captain. If he does not, he isn't. As simple as that. He lost in T20I WC and WTC. Hopefully, he can win the ODI WC.

— Yuvraj (@Yuvi_A7) July 10, 2023

To bhai usey to bol individual performance sudharne ko

— @imAman (@AmanYelekar) July 10, 2023

Where was this energy when vk was captain?

— Shreyansh Rana (@Smokie_16) July 10, 2023

Where was this energy when vk was captain?

— Shreyansh Rana (@Smokie_16) July 10, 2023

Kohli ko iske liye hi Gaali padti thi

— TÕTALKÔHLÌ (@LoyalKohliFan1) July 10, 2023

But Rohit is the captain. He is not just a team member. When captain doesn’t perform it matters.

— Nirmal Jyothi (@majornirmal) July 10, 2023

no hate to rohit but for same reason people criticize kohli

— gurpreet (@grxwal7) July 10, 2023