Irfan Pathan Breaks Silence On Rohit Sharma Interview Controversy: "We Supported Him But..."
Irfan, who had interviewed Rohit in Sydney, revealed that the broadcasters were compelled to support the then India captain, despite his evident struggles in the format. Irfan admitted had Rohit not been the captain, he would've been dropped by the management.
"Rohit Sharma is an amazing player in white-ball cricket, but his average in Test cricket that year was 6, so we said that if he was not the captain, he would not have had a place in the team, and this is true," Pathan said in a snippet shared by Lallantop.
"People say that we supported Rohit Sharma more than necessary. Of course, when someone comes to interview on your broadcasting channel, you will not misbehave with them, right? You have invited him, so you will behave politely. When Rohit came to interview, we were, of course, polite, and we had to show that, because he was our guest. So that was connected and said we were supporting him, but it was we who said...we had said that he should keep fighting, but that said, he should not have had a place in the playing XI. If he was not the captain of the team, he would have been dropped," he added.
The tour of Australia turned out to be Rohit's final in Test cricket as he recently retired from the format ahead of the series in England.
Former India captain Virat Kohli also followed the suit, announcing his retirement from the format days after Rohit.
Rohit made his Test debut against the West Indies in November 2013 and went on to represent India in 67 Tests. He amassed 4,301 runs at an average of 40.57, with 12 centuries and 18 fifties. His highest score of 212 came during a memorable home series against South Africa in 2019.
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