"Cancer cannot be treated with Disprin" - Basit Ali comes out in support of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma
Former Pakistani cricketer Basti Ali has urged Indian fans to support senior batter Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma amid poor form. He suggested that while criticizing the two champion players, people should not forget their significant contribution to Indian cricket.
Giving the analogy of how Disprin cannot cure cancer, he opined that India's supporters should not make their players zeros from heroes after an odd defeat. In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Basit said (from 1:38):
"Just two or three months ago there was a felicitation ceremony on this same ground in Mumbai. Why didn't you say at that time that now they should retire from all three formats? Cancer cannot be treated with Disprin, you need chemotherapy for that. You people make them zero on a day, but you forget the performances they have given in the past. You people were winning. Ask me, our team had been losing to America, Ireland, Afghanistan and Bangladesh."
Basit noted that Kohli and Sharma have faced the wrath of fans after New Zealand's 3-0 whitewash in the recently concluded home Test series. He, however, highlighted how both the players have performed admirably in the recent past, adding (from 6:22):
"You lost 3-0, that's why you people are angry. Please use a little bit of your mind. This is the same Rohit Sharma who scored runs against England in the 2023 ODI World Cup and in the Test series. This is the same Virat Kohli who scored 186 in Ahmedabad. Now when he is not getting runs, you guys are speaking. He has seen such a time before as well."
Kohli and Sharma struggled to get going in the three-match Test series against New Zealand, scoring 93 and 91 runs, respectively, from six innings each.
"Babar Azam got good pitches, Virat Kohli didn't" - Basit Ali
Basit Ali also spoke about how Virat Kohli didn't have the luxury of playing on batting-friendly pitches like Pakistan's Babar Azam. He mentioned that the former India skipper had to bat on rank turners, where it was difficult to score runs.
The cricketer-turned-expert remarked in the aforementioned video:
"Babar Azam got good pitches, Virat Kohli didn't. He had to play on turning tracks. Who is instructing to make such pitches?"
Kohli's red-ball form has concerned several fans. The 36-year-old has not scored a Test century since July 2023.