Indian skipper Virat Kohli has backed his teammate KL Rahul despite his poor run of form in the ongoing series against England. After being sidelined for the Test series, Rahul scored 1, 0, 0 and 14 in the first four games before he was dropped for the last, which was more of a tactical decision. With many former cricketers backing Rahul to play all five games, Rahul was given the long rope by skipper Kohli and the management.
In the pre-match press conference, Virat Kohli lashed out to KL Rahul’s recent criticism due to his lack of form. When questioned as to how do the players react to off-field criticism and cope up with them, Kohli said the debate about players’ form reminds him of a classic Bollywood song Kuch To Log Kahenge from the classic movie Amar Prem.
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Virat Kohli Responds To KL Rahul’s Critics
“The subject of form and out of form reminds me of the song – ‘Kuch toh log kehenge, logo ka kaam hai kehna. Chhodo bekaar ki baaton mein kaheen beet na jaaye rainaa’ (People will say something or the other, it’s the job of people to say something. Forget all these useless things or else our night will end just around them.),” Kohli was quoted as saying.
💬 "We will continue backing our players." #TeamIndia captain @imVkohli stresses the importance of keeping the players in good mental space. #INDvENG @Paytm pic.twitter.com/qy7AqmrW6O
— BCCI (@BCCI) March 22, 2021
Virat Kohli further said that with all the talk about the player’s criticism going around, the management stresses on mental health in these tough times.
“There’s a lot of impatience outside the cricket setup, and everyone has a point of view. Some people form an opinion on what the player is thinking, and that becomes a judgment. When a player is down, some people enjoy having their fun at his expense and further pulling him down,” Kohli said during the virtual press conference.
The two teams now face off in a three-match ODI series in Pune’s Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium. The first game will be played on Match 23 followed by the last two on March 26 & 28. Both the teams have named the squads for the three-match series. There are some new faces in both sides and a few are expected to be given their debut ODI caps.
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