Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma aren't 'robots,' deserve more respect: Kevin Pietersen

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Kevin Pietersen has called for the fans to show some empathy to Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli and feels that the calls for both men to retire are unfair. Kohli and Rohit struggled during the Australia tour as the former was dismissed 8 times to deliveries outside the off stump. The Indian captain scored just 31 runs in 5 innings and decided to drop himself for the final Test in Sydney.

The poor form of both batters would force fans to call for their retirement from the Test format. Pietersen, while speaking at a promotional event, said that he was surprised to see such calls from fans and demanded that both Kohli and Rohit deserve more respect.

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“(It’s) unfair. How can you tell somebody who’s scored as many runs as these guys, they must retire? Yes, it’s a discussion and it’s a topic I get it, I understand it, but they deserve more respect than that,” said Pietersen, as quoted by PTI.

Pietersen, who faced the same challenges during his career, said that Kohli and Rohit can’t always go out and get runs and will have their occasional slump in form.

“Having had exactly the same challenges in my career, it happens. Rohit and Virat are not robots. They don’t walk out there and get a hundred every time they bat. Maybe they had one bad Australian tour. Does that make them bad people? No. Does it make them bad cricketers? Absolutely not,” he said.

‘These guys are human beings’

Pietersen said that people need to understand that Kohli and Rohit are humans as well. The former batter also claimed that it isn’t always about stats and winning matches and more about the good feeling Kohli and Rohit gave during their careers.

“You guys need to understand, these guys are human beings. You give them bamboo now, but at the end of their careers, you look back and how did they make you feel when they played? They made people feel happy.”

“It’s not all about statistics. It’s not all about winning and not about losing, and you finish your career like I did, people talk to me about how I made them feel when I played.”

“A Virat makes people feel amazing. Rohit makes people feel amazing, so they should be celebrated, they get to 36, 37 or 38. I always feel those kinds of players should be celebrated,” said Pietersen.

Kohli and Rohit will be back in action during the England ODI series, which will begin on February 6.

Published On:

Feb 4, 2025



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