Rohit Sharma Lashes out at ‘Biased’ Indian Commentators After Retiring from Test Cricket

A day after his Test retirement, Rohit Sharma voiced his displeasure with Indian cricket commentary's focus on personal lives over performance.

Rohit Sharma Lashes out at ‘Biased’ Indian Commentators After Retiring from Test Cricket

Rohit Sharma slammed Indian commentators and media for their poor cricket journalism, in recent years. (via Telegraph)

Indian cricketing icon and ODI skipper Rohit Sharma, who announced his retirement from Test cricket a day ago, expressed his disappointment with the current state of cricket commentary in India. The 38-year-old accused commentators of focusing on a player’s personal life, over his performances. 

Rohit Sharma most recently announced his decision to quit playing red-ball cricket, ending his 11-year long association with the Indian Test side. He made his test debut back in 2013, against West Indies, and almost a decade later, was appointed captain in 2022, replacing Virat Kohli. The 38-year-old led the Men in Blue in 24 Test matches, winning 12, drawing three and losing nine out of them.

Sharma’s decision to retire, comes amid constant criticism aimed at his recent red-ball form as well as the team’s back-to-back series defeats. India was humbled 0-3 by New Zealand at home, followed by a 1-3 defeat to Australia in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Sharma himself did not have a great run with the bat, averaging just 10.93, as a result of which he had to opt out of the playing XI in the final Test in Sydney.

Despite having later guided India to the 20255 Champions Trophy title, Rohit Sharma remained in the headlines for his dismal Test form, leading to calls for the 38-year-old to be removed from his position as India’s red-ball captain. Now, having retired from Tests, Sharma hit out at the Indian media’s coverage of his cricketing career, as well as the quality of commentary and cricket journalism in the country. 

Speaking to Vimal Kumar on his YouTube show, Rohit Sharma claimed that the Indian commentators have shifted their focus on creating controversies and adding ‘masala’, rather than discussing the nuances of the game. He added that the quality of commentating and cricket journalism has gone down, with conversations now revolving solely around a player’s personal life.

The quality of journalism has gone down. Earlier, conversations would revolve around cricket. Now, it’s all about getting views, likes, and making more people read your articles…Tactics, analysis, it’s all missing.

Rohit Sharma on Indian commentators (H/T India Today)

Rohit Sharma also accused the Indian broadcasters of focusing on a single star player, and not the rest of the player. He compared the Indian TV commentary to its Australian counterpart, highlighting the superior nature of the latter as well as his interest in it. The 38-year-old clarified that while players are willing to accept criticism, there should be a clear line between ‘constructive’ criticism and an ‘agenda-driven’ one.

When there’s a match on, we watch it on TV. But listen to how commentators speak these days. When we go to Australia, we hear their commentary and the difference in quality is vast.

Rohit Sharma added

Moreover, Sharma is not the only senior player to have voiced his concern against the quality of cricket commentary in India. Fellow India teammate Virat Kohli, who shared many wonderful moments with Rohit Sharma, had in the past openly criticized the quality of Indian cricket commentary. 

Shubman Gill and Jasprit Bumrah frontrunners for Test captaincy, following Rohit Sharma’s retirement

With Rohit Sharma having recently announced his decision to retire from Test cricket, it has intensified the race to secure the role of India’s Test captain, ahead of the much-awaited England tour. Shubman Gill and Jasprit Bumrah have emerged as front-runners, to replace Sharma. 

Jasprit Bumrah Shubman Gill replace Rohit Sharma
Jasprit Bumrah or Shubman Gill could replace Rohit Sharma as India’s Test captain. (via NDTV Sports)

25-year-old Shubman Gill remains an ideal candidate to take over as Test captain, with the young opener showing off his leadership abilities in his recent outing as Gujarat Titans’ skipper in the IPL. Apart from him, 31-year-old Jasprit Bumrah, currently the top-ranked ICC Test bowler, is another viable option. He has prior experience captaining India, having filled in for Rohit Sharma in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

While it remains to be seen who will be picked between the two to lead India in the upcoming England Tests, many others have put forward the idea of reinstating Virat Kohli as red-ball captain. The 36-year-old had stepped down after a much-successful spell, with an astonishing 58.82 win percentage.