5 times Virat Kohli fans trolled Rohit Sharma
Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma are two of the biggest superstars in the current Indian team. Both possess incredible records in international cricket and have represented India with distinction for well over a decade. While Kohli was Team India’s all-format captain until the last few months, Rohit has taken over the mantle from him.
Being the two biggest names in the team, Kohli and Rohit are often projected on the outside as being at loggerheads. To their credit, however, both cricketers have handled the uncomfortable situation without any hassles.
In fact, both have constantly praised each other on open platforms. Rohit was constantly backed when Kohli was the captain and the case is vice versa now.
While the equation between the two star batters might not be as bad as rumors often claim, passionate fans of the two cricketers do not miss any opportunity to take a dig at each other.
In this feature, we recap five instances when Kohli fans trolled the current Indian captain.
#1 When Kohli fans claimed Hardik Pandya abused captain Rohit
no one likes you, people openly question your authority, even an ex MI player doesn’t respect you @imro45 😂😂😂wadda legacy #HardikAbusedRohit https://t.co/H0IJjVswGM
During the Edgbaston T20I, played as part of India’s tour of England, Team India all-rounder Hardik Pandya was heard abusing someone.
It wasn’t clear who he was talking to but he was captured on the stump mic saying in Hindi that when he is bowling, he will take the calls. He then yelled out an expletive.
During Virat Kohli’s captaincy paid PRs and agenda peddlers said there were rifts in dressing room but now what would they say about these rifts on field, captured on camera where Hardik Pandya abused Rohit Sharma.
#HardikAbusedRohit
Kohli fans were quick to jump on the video and claimed that Hardik was questioning the captain’s authority by boasting that he sets his own field.
Many also criticized Rohit for being unable to “earn the respect of the players”, while some others took the opportunity to glorify Kohli’s leadership.
#2 When Rohit-led MI lost seven matches in a row
Over the years, Kohli has often been criticized for his inability to lead the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) to victory in the IPL. Year after year, RCB showed promise, but could not go all the way.
Strong comparisons were made with Rohit, who has five IPL trophies as Mumbai Indians (MI) captain.
Kohli fans got a chance to take a dig at Rohit after MI created a new record in IPL 2022 by becoming the first team to lose their first seven games of a season.
I still remember those days when so called cricket experts use to troll @imVkohli left right center for RCB's performance .
But that whole lobby is silent for Rohit now , Hypocrisy at its peak coz they use to scream "captaincy" for every MI match earlier .
Mumbai had a poor mega auction and could not assemble a strong squad. In the wake of MI’s disastrous showing, Kohli's admirers made their feelings public and questioned why Rohit’s captaincy was not being criticized severely.
#3 Kohli’s duck vs Rohit’s duck
After he was dismissed without scoring during MI’s clash against the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in Navi Mumbai during IPL 2022, Kohli fans got another chance to troll "Hitman".
Following his failure, Rohit created a new record for most ducks in IPL history (14), an unwanted record he now shares with Mandeep Singh.
Records made by @ImRo45 today!!!
-First ever captain to lose back to back 7 matches in IPL
-First captain to lose all first 7 matches in IPL
- Having most ducks in IPL
My Opinion:
Believe it or not, it's called captaincy pressure!
And you troll @imVkohli for this🤷
#IPL2022
Kohli fans went after Rohit, criticizing him for failing with both bat and as a leader during the edition. Perhaps the MI skipper’s dismissal without scoring reduced their pain as Kohli himself was dismissed for a golden duck in RCB’s previous match against the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG).
For the record, Kohli ended up registering three golden ducks in IPL 2022.
#4 When Kohli fans questioned Rohit for “skipping” South Africa Test series
The official word on Rohit after he was ruled out of the 2021-2022 South Africa Test series was that he had pulled his hamstring. A BCCI statement read:
"Rohit sustained a left hamstring injury during his training session in Mumbai."
No. Of games missed due to injury
Virat Kohli since 2009 - 1
Rohit Sharma since 2020 - 16
#FitnessMatter #fitness #
Kohli’s fans, though, refused to believe the official statement. According to them, the 'Hitman' faked the injury so that he could skip the tough Test series in South Africa.
Kohli's followers pointed out that the batter had earlier missed the 2020 Test series in New Zealand and also two of the four Tests in Australia during the 2020-21 tour.
#5 When fans wanted Kohli to lead in Birmingham Test
Some ardent Kohli fans did not even spare Rohit after he tested positive for COVID-19 ahead of the rescheduled Test against England in Birmingham. Some also questioned the timing of his diagnosis.
Make this man captain for last test please..🥹 #BCCI #ViratKohli https://t.co/Qvd9KFgBIN twitter.com/BCCI/status/15…
Kohli's fans also launched a social media campaign, asking for the former skipper to be made captain for the one-off Test.
Eventually, pacer Jasprit Bumrah was named captain after Rohit was ruled out. Kohli registered scores of 11 and 20 as India lost the Test by seven wickets.
Also Read: Hitman’s injury list: Timeline of Rohit Sharma's injuries since 2020