“We spoke to a lot of the specialists about his injuries, but we did not get a decent response. This World Cup is important, but his career is more important. He is only 27-28, there is a lot of cricket in front of him. So, we can’t take such a risk. All the specialists we spoke to were of the same opinion. There is a lot of cricket ahead of him, he will play a lot more and help India win matches. There is no doubt that he will be missed.” These words were spoken by none otherthan the Indian captain, Rohit Sharma. The hypocrite that is Rohit Sharma.
He is worried about Bumrah career than the T20 World Cup. Bumrah has lot to contribute to India. He still has another 8 years of high quality cricket. It makes sense to save his career but the point is who is the one who is talking about it? It is Rohit Sharma. The same Rohit Sharma who manages Bumrah for Mumbai Indians. Some years ago, when asked whether he will consider resting Bumrah before the 2019 World Cup, he replied that he will not even consider resting Bumrah. Why this double standard? Is playing for IPL more important than playing for the country?
Injured players are more of a liability than an asset
I do support that Bumrah must not be risked when he is unfit. It is a noble intention but to selectively impose such restrictions is what I am concerned about. Playing for the nation is much more important than playing for any franchise. It is time the Indian players understand that and it is instilled on their minds. This will perhaps be Rohit Sharma’s last T20 World Cup. Definitely as the captain. He needs all his main players to be able to win the tournament. One can only hope that he had analysed it thoroughly.
I do not have anything else to add to the above. It makes me really sad to read Rohit’s comments while he didn’t bother about it while captaining Mumbai.
In other news
Roger Binny has become the new BCCI president. He has replaced the outgoing Saurav Ganguly. Binny played for the country more than 30 years ago. As such, he may not be intune with the modern game though he is following the game. However, it is good to note that another actual cricketer has become the president. I am not expecting anything great out of the new appointment afterall, I expected a lot to happen under Ganguly but it didn’t materialise. I will write a detailed blog on this later.
India will not tour Pakistan
The Asia Cup ODI tournament is supposed to be held in Pakistan in 2023. The BCCI secretary has said that India will not tour Pakistan for obvious reasons. In that case, Pakistan can either choose to go ahead with the tournament without India or the tournament itself be played, where else, UAE anyway. India pulling out of the tournament is such a huge deal. Gate receipts and satellite telecast is bound to suffer. The ACC stands to lose a substantial amount of money. Nowadays, every multi-team tournament has an India vs Pakistan fixture.
The aim is not impossible to decipher. It is to milk upto the last pound or rupee possible. The ICC and the ACC are oblivious to the implications of such games. This must stop. The schedule must follow a process and if India and Pakistan are to meet in the knock-outs, so be it. Ofcourse, there is no guarantee that both or either of them will qualify. I do not think that forcing such politically sensitive games into the schedule is the correct way.
Pakistan’s reaction
As expected Pakistan have reacted rather strongly.
“The overall impact of such statements have the potential to split the Asian and international cricketing communities, and can impact Pakistan’s visit to India for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 and future ICC Events in India in the 2024-2031 cycle,” the statement reads.
Will BCCI be perturbed by this? I do not think so. India will not be bothered if Pakistan tours. It can be easily offset. ICC’s fortune may drop a little but it will be hard to influence the Indian board.
Wrapping up the hypocrite that is Rohit Sharma
Rohit Sharma as the captain is making all the wrong noises. He has already lost the Asia Cup that India were expected to atleast reach the finals if not win it. He is unlikely to get a chance to win outside of India because India are not slated to travel overseas until December 2023 when India will tour South Africa. With his fitness, it is not a given that he will be in the squad. This is his only chance.