An annoyed Team India skipper, Rohit Sharma, responded to queries about Virat Kohli’s overseas form by dismissing them as “outside noises” that the team is not concerned about.
Virat Kohli ended his five-year drought of not scoring a century in overseas Test matches in the second match against the West Indies, which ended in a draw in Port of Spain, Trinidad.
When asked about concerns regarding Kohli’s lack of big scores, the Indian captain replied that the team doesn’t pay attention to “outside noises”.
“I’ve answered this question many times. All the talk about who scored how many runs or took how many wickets… people who make such remarks don’t know what happens within the team,” Rohit said during a pre-match press conference for the first ODI against the West Indies.
“For us, what happens within the team stays within the team. That’s our preference. The most important thing for us is to win matches or series, not what people are saying. It doesn’t matter to us.”
“Right now, our priority is the three ODI matches. That’s what we’re focusing on,” he added.
“Internal discussions remain internal, and we want them to stay that way. I’ve said this multiple times in the past, and I’ll continue to say it,” he concluded.
After nearly five years without scoring a Test century overseas, Kohli finally achieved the milestone in Trinidad. However, Rohit remains unconcerned about public opinions on Kohli’s or any other player’s performance.
Prior to India’s first ODI against the West Indies, Rohit Sharma discussed external criticism with the media.
“I’ve answered this question many times. We don’t focus too much on external opinions because they don’t know what conversations we have within the team, and we want to keep it that way. Our focus is on getting the best out of every individual in the team and helping the team win games and series. Right now, our focus is on the three one-dayers and giving players opportunities. I want to stay involved in that,” Rohit said in a pre-match presentation.
“There are several players in the team who have played enough cricket and don’t need to be constantly told everything. They are capable of understanding their game without constant instructions. Our job is to make the new players comfortable and help them perform at their best. Our focus is only on things that can benefit the team,” added the India captain.
Kohli’s latest century came in his 500th international match. It was his 76th century for India, with his last away century being in December 2018.
Kohli was dismissed for 76 in the first Test in Dominica.
*With agency inputs