Irfan Pathan’s blunt take on Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli: ‘They have fallen behind’ | Cricket News
Former Indian cricketer Irfan Pathan criticized cricket stalwarts Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli for their poor performance in the first ODI against Australia at Perth, attributing their failures to a lack of game time. Speaking on his YouTube channel, Pathan emphasized the importance of following proper processes regardless of a player’s stature, while praising Rishabh Pant for choosing to play against South Africa A before returning to international cricket.Rohit and Virat, who last played for India during the ICC Champions Trophy victory in March, had disappointing outings in Perth, scoring eight and zero respectively. Their limited game time was due to their retirement from Tests before the England tour and T20Is last year.The duo missed significant cricket action, including a five-Test series in England, the T20I Asia Cup, and a home series against West Indies comprising two Tests. Their only competitive cricket during this period was the IPL from April to June.“But you have to do the things that are needed, you have to complete the processes, you have to play matches. In this regard, they have fallen behind. If they had played some matches before coming, and shown some form, the team management might have thought seven batters are enough, and we can include Kuldeep Yadav. But now, since the team is unsure of the form of three players, it is not happening,” Pathan said.
Pathan acknowledged that while Rohit and Virat wouldn’t be judged solely on individual performances given their impressive ODI records, the process of match preparation remains crucial.“It is not like they (Virat, Rohit, and Shreyas Iyer) did not have a lot of options to play cricket during the break. I believe that no matter how big a player you are, when it comes to Indian cricket, you have to make sure that you return after following the proper process. We have seen both Rohit and Virat work hard, but match fitness and normal fitness are two different things. For example, Rishabh Pant, coming after injury, will play for India ‘A’ against South Africa ‘A’,” he added.
Poll
Do you think Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli should have played more matches before the ODI against Australia?
“Pant, who is a match-winner in Tests, if he wants, can say that he is fit, I am fine, I will play the Tests against South Africa straightaway. But, no. It does not happen like that, and that is why he will be playing for India ‘A’, and that is how exactly it should happen,” Pathan concluded.
