"Do Not Get It": Rohit Sharma On Chatter Regarding Virat Kohli's Form

The talk regarding Kohli's form is increasing by the minute. However, skipper Rohit Sharma once again defended the premier batter after the second ODI. Rohit said that he does not understand why his form of Kohli is being discussed again and again.

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Virat Kohli's poor run of form continued in the second ODI of the three-match series against England at Lord's Cricket Stadium as David Willey dismissed him after scoring just 16. Before this game, the right-handed batter had not gotten among the runs in the Edgbaston Test and then the T20I series.

"Charcha kyu ho rahi hai (Rohit when asked about the chatter regarding Kohli's form). I do not get it. He has played so many matches. He is playing for so many years. He is such a great batter so he does not need reassurance.

I talked about this in my last press conference too, form goes up and down, and that is part and parcel of any cricketer's career. So, a player like him, who has played for so many years, who has made so many runs, who has won so many matches, for him, he only needs one or two good innings (to bounce back),"

said Rohit during the press conference after the second ODI which India lost by 100 runs.

"That is my thinking and I am sure all those who follow cricket will think similarly. We have chats about this topic, but we should also understand and think when we talk about such things. We have seen the performance of all players go up and down, but the quality of the player never gets bad. That we all should keep in mind. That is very important.

Yaar, matlab, bande ne itne run banaya hain (he has scored so many runs), check his average, how many hundreds he has made, he has experience of doing that. There is a slump in every player's life, there is no player who has performed well in every match they have played. Even in the personal life, it (slump) comes," he added.

"You have to play bilateral series": Rohit Sharma

When asked whether bilateral series are still important with so many T20 leagues, Rohit said: "I think it is important but it can be managed in a better way for sure. The scheduling has to be done with some space as well. You have to play bilateral series, there was a time when we were kids, I grew up, and I watched a lot of tri-series or quadrangular series, but that has completely stopped. I think that can be a way forward so that there is enough time for a team to recover and get back. These all are high-pressure games that we play, whenever you represent your country, you want to come out with a lot of intensity."

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"You do not want to compromise on that so of course, I do understand when we play the bilateral series, the scheduling, and time between each game can be managed slightly better, not just from India's perspective, but all boards. If that happens, you see the best quality of players coming out and representing every game. When you play back-to-back games, you have to look after players and understand the workload. Honestly, from the outside world, people want to see all the best players playing and if those things are managed quite well, the quality of cricket will not be compromised."

In the second ODI, India failed to chase down 247 as Reece Topley took six wickets to bundle out the visitors for 146. The three-match series is now level at 1-1 and the decider will be played on Sunday.