Virat Kohli Felt 'Unwanted', Rohit Sharma 'Disrespected': Ex-India Star Blasts Gautam Gambhir And Co.

Are we seeing the last of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma? All indications point towards that direction. The star duo has already retired from Tests and T20Is. They are part of the Indian ODI squad for the three-match series against Australia starting on October 19, but Rohit is no longer the captain. Shubman Gill, who is already the Test captain, has been handed over the reins of the ODI team as well. Former India player Manoj Tiwary feels that Kohli and Rohit might retire soon, as the recent happenings have been 'nothing short of disrespectful'.

Tiwary was asked: "You've said Rohit Sharma should retire after being sacked as captain. Do you think this will also impact Virat Kohli?"

"It already has. Otherwise, why would Virat have left Test cricket? He had already started preparing mentally for the upcoming England series. But the environment, the situation around him in Indian cricket, made him feel unwanted. When a player, no matter how big he is, starts feeling that he's not needed or respected, a player with self-respect and dignity will never continue," Tiwary replied on CricTracker.

"That's exactly why Virat quietly stepped away from Test cricket, not out of frustration, but out of self-respect. And if things continue the same way, I honestly think there's a possibility that Rohit might also take that step in the future, not because he wants to, but because no great player should be made to stay where he feels disrespected."

Tiwary was also asked about the logic behind promoting Shubman Gill as a future all-format captain. "Look, there's no rocket science in understanding this. From their statements, it's quite clear: they don't want different captains for different formats. That indirectly means they're looking to make Shubman Gill the captain across all formats. But let's keep that thought aside for a moment and ask, why make this change now? When you appoint someone as captain, the goal is to win matches and series. Rohit Sharma was already doing that consistently," he said.

"The team's performance was solid, the results were coming, so what was the need for this change? After the kind of contribution both Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma have made for Indian cricket, if they're being treated like this, it's nothing short of disrespectful. I genuinely feel that very soon, both of them might decide to announce retirement, possibly after the Australia series."

Topics mentioned in this article

India Cricket Team Virat Kohli Rohit Sharma Gautam Gambhir BCCI Cricket