Give Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli the respect they deserve; Gautam Gambhir, Ajit Agarkar have bigger problems to address

The rapidity with which focus shifts in Indian cricket is little short of astonishing. Less than a week back, everyone remotely invested in the sport was bemoaning India’s inglorious recent home record in Test cricket. Now, that same individual and their cousin have become experts at body language, lip-reading, and behavioural analysis.

All of a sudden, there is no talk of how badly they were schooled in their own conditions by Temba Bavuma’s South Africa, who inflicted on India their second Test series loss at home in the last 12 months. All the angst and outrage over team selection, batting order reshuffles, the influx of white-ball specialists and the profusion of utility players have gone out the window. That’s all been replaced by talk surrounding the future of two former captains who now play only one format internationally, the format in which India are currently locking horns with South Africa.

Since the second week of May, when Virat Kohli followed Rohit Sharma into the Test sunset, the cacophony around whether this crack duo, two of the greatest white-ball batters of all time, will be available/considered/fit for the next 50-over World Cup in southern Africa, 23 months from now, has gathered momentum. Why? Why now? Why is that the most overriding theme when there are so many other talking points? No one is wondering whether Jasprit Bumrah, him of the delicate body that needs careful managing, will be around. No one is wasting breath on the injury-prone Hardik Pandya, one of the more influential cogs given the value he brings as a genuine all-rounder. Then why this concentrated training of the spotlight on Rohit and Kohli?

Intrusive television cameras have added fuel to the raging fire, with every gesture, every word, interpreted per convenience. In the centre of all this drama, alongside the two wonderful batters, is head coach Gautam Gambhir, under whose watch India’s fall as a Test force at home has transpired.

Unlike his predecessor Rahul Dravid, and even the flamboyant Ravi Shastri, who shunned the arc lights, Gambhir has been here, there and everywhere since he assumed charge in July last year. He talks a tough talk, does the former opener, often invoking 140 crore Indians and stressing on ‘care’ and ‘hurt’ and ‘passion’. In time, hopefully, he will also produce the red-ball results that can’t be masked by any amount of limited-overs silverware. For now, it’s important for Gambhir, maybe even for his employers, to clear the air and put this uneasy (even if artificially created) air of tension and uncertainty to rest.

Let Rohit and Kohli be. Let them do what they do best, which is take bowling attacks down in their own contrasting yet equally effective ways. Instead of worrying about whether they will/should be around for two further years, why not work out the blueprint that will make India better players of spin in Test cricket? Why not identify a core specialist group around which the Test side should revolve? Why not identify the roadmap for the future? Just because India’s next Test assignment isn’t for another nine months shouldn’t be reason enough to sweep the South African disaster under the carpet. After all, vision must be long-term, not myopic and short-sighted.

Gambhir and Ajit Agarkar, the chief selector who has come under equal fire as the head coach, must get their priorities in order. Definitely at the top of that list should not be continued scrutiny on Rohit and Kohli, especially with the World Cup so far away. Any discussions, if deemed fit and necessary, can be initiated during IPL 2026, say, by which time the February-March T20 World Cup would have been put to bed. In any case, India don’t have any 50-over internationals lined up between the middle of January (at home against England) and the middle of July (in England), so where is the tearing hurry to pass judgement on Rohit and Kohli’s future?

On the evidence of the four matches the duo has played in the last month and a bit (three in Australia and Sunday’s opener against the Proteas), they are in a good place physically, mentally and cricket-wise. Ardent Rohit-watchers have pointed out that he doesn’t smile as readily as previously but hey, he isn’t advertising for a toothpaste, is he? He has lost none of his mojo, looks lighter than he has in the last few years, and isn’t done destroying reputations and egos. Kohli is, well, Kohli. After a 0, 0 start in Australia, he has hit his straps and his 52nd ton on Sunday reiterated that he is still up for it. Nothing points to enjoyment and total commitment than running between the wickets, always a Kohli USP. Only one format or not, there clearly is no dimming of that fire.

Indian cricket has bigger issues to address right now than worry about Rohit and Kohli. Everyone knows what those issues are. Let them not be obfuscated by unwanted, unbecoming and disrespectful narratives revolving around two continued masters of their trade.