Former India cricketer Harbhajan Singh feels Rohit Sharma's criticism is going 'overboard' in recent times especially after the World Test Championship (WTC) final. His captaincy has come under the scanner as well with former legendary cricketers like Sunil Gavaskar also coming down hard at Rohit and his leadership qualities. But Harbhajan Singh reckons Rohit commands respect from his teammates and also reminded everyone that cricket is a team sport.
"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 said in an interview to PTI.
Rohit Sharma has won the Indian Premier League (IPL) five times as captain while leading Mumbai Indians and according to Harbhajan Singh, one needs to show faith in the India skipper and his leadership ability. He is also of the opinion that Rohit should get support from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) while recalling that even the likes of MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli got support from then BCCI Presidents during their captaincy tenure. For the unversed, Roger Binny is the current BCCI President, however, Rohit Sharma was appointed India skipper across all formats when Sourav Ganguly was at the helm of the BCCI.
"I have played with him (Rohit) and watched him closely. He commands a lot of respect not only in MI dressing room but also in the Indian dressing room. So I think it's unfair to judge him on basis of recent results. He will come good and we need to show faith in him and we need to support him rather than pinpointing that you are not doing this or that. If you have the support from BCCI, 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 BCCI presidents of that time.
"Rohit must be getting support from BCCI. 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 BCCI has given it to all its captains," the former off-spinner added.
