‘Virat Kohli like my son. Why would I say bad things about him’

New Delhi: Former BCCI chairman of selectors Chetan Sharma has addressed his controversial statements on Virat Kohli that were captured during the infamous sting operation conducted on him. About a year ago, Sharma found himself caught in a sting operation where he revealed inside stories including the ‘ego clash’ that took place between Kohli and former BCCI president Sourav Ganguly. He went no-holds-barred on the alleged feud, and a lot more before eventually resigning from the post.
A year later, Sharma has taken a U-turn from the statements made on Kohli, addressing the former India captain as his own son and pointing out that he never meant anything bad for Virat or harboured any ill feelings towards him. In fact, Sharma can’t wait to see Kohli back in action and expects a string of centuries from his bat.
“Virat Kohli is like my son. He is so much younger. Why would I say bad things about him? I always pray for his well-being. It gives me immense happiness to see that he’s become a legend. I hope he comes back and scores centuries to reach the 100-ton mark in international cricket. Virat is an icon of Indian cricket. I am waiting for his return,” he told News24.
Rohit a selfless cricketer, says Sharma
Kohli wasn’t the only one Sharma had nice things to say about. His focus turned to Rohit Sharma, whom he hailed as a player willing to sacrifice himself for the greater good. Sharma was awestruck by Rohit’s form and role for India at the 2023 World Cup. The India captain was unstoppable, giving his team rocketing starts every game. Rohit finished the World Cup as its second-highest scorer with 597 runs at an average of 54.27, including three fifties and a century, next only to Kohli’s record breaking 765-run tournament.
“You will find very few players who will sacrifice themselves for the team, because they have a long-term plan. We just have to go and play at the top and the rest will handle themselves. I appreciate it. In the World Cup, he did his job. Gave India explosive starts at the top, scoring 40, 50. Took India to 80/0. What more do you need? He did his job and then it was up to the rest. The way India played at the World Cup. We didn’t only win 10 matches, we roughed them up. I didn’t feel anyone could play cricket in the world like India did,” added Sharma.
Agencies

KR Desk