‘Single out player and keep talking…’: Rohit Sharma slams Indian commentators, calls them agenda-driven

Indian ODI captain Rohit Sharma has expressed his dissatisfaction with the current state of commentary and cricket journalism in the country. He believes that the focus is more on creating controversy and sensationalism rather than providing insightful analysis of the game. According to Rohit, this approach does a disservice to genuine cricket enthusiasts who are eager to deepen their understanding of the sport.

Rohit highlighted the contrast in commentary quality between India and other cricketing nations, particularly Australia, where he has observed a higher level of interest and engagement from the commentators. The 38-year-old cricketer emphasized the significant gap in standards between Indian commentary and that of other countries.

Rather than enjoying and evaluating the game itself, Rohit chastised Indian broadcasters for their tendency to focus too much on particular outstanding players and probe into their personal lives.  He feels that this takes away from cricket’s actual spirit and does not provide fans the in-depth coverage they want.

“You guys are focused on creating controversy, on blowing up news. The quality of journalism has gone down. Earlier, conversations would revolve around cricket. Now, it’s all about getting views, likes, and making more people read your articles. Very little is written or spoken about the game itself. Tactics, analysis – it’s all missing,” Rohit told Vimal Kumar on his YouTube show.

“When there’s a match on, we watch it on TV. But listen to how commentators speak these days. When we go to Australia, we hear their commentary and the difference in quality is vast. Here, it’s so disappointing – and I’m being very honest. It seems like they just want to single out a player and keep talking about him or her. It’s very disappointing.

“There are so many people who want to know about the game. Why do they need masala? They are true cricket lovers. I know there’s this belief nowadays that fans want masala, but there are also those who want to understand the game. For instance, they want to know why someone’s form has dipped, what he’s doing wrong. They want that insight. Don’t talk about personal stuff. Yes, you have a platform to speak, but that doesn’t mean you can say anything. Respect the players,” he added.

During Rohit’s captaincy, India faced a difficult tour of Australia in 2024-25. Unfortunately, news from inside the dressing room was leaked, causing frustration within the leadership group. India’s longstanding Test dominance waned as they lost the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 1-3, failing to reach the World Test Championship final for the first time. Additionally, India suffered a whitewash of 0-3 in a home series for the first time last year.

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