Rohit Sharma remains ‘good friends’ with Australian cricketers

Indian star opener Rohit Sharma confessed that unlike his Skipper Kohli, he will still remain good friends with his Australian counterparts. At the end of the Test series last month, which was marred by controversies, Kohli had stated that he cannot call the Australian cricketers his friends anymore.

India-Australia rivalry was renewed in February earlier this year when the latter toured India for a 4-Test series which was won by the home team by 2-1. The series was highly competitive and both respective team captains – Smith and Kohli – were highly animated and intense throughout the series. The healthy relationship shared between both countries hit nadir towards the end of the series. Kohli went to the extent of calling his counterpart a ‘cheat’ when Smith was caught on TV cameras seeking help from his team’s dressing room over a DRS call.

Rohit Sharma, who was nursing a thigh injury, did not take part in the series but maintained that his friendship with the Aussies won’t be affected. “We are pretty good friends. We all get along well” said the Mumbai Indian skipper. He added: “India and Australia have always been a good rivalry. We have seen that over the years. So, I was not surprised what happened in the series. When you play against a top side in the world, these things are bound to happen. But as far as one remembers not to cross the line and stay in the limits, that’s good. It is always a hard-fought battle between these two teams. Once you are in the battlefield, you are trying to give everything for your country. Some of the things were blown out of proportion for unnecessary reasons. Players know exactly what needs to be done on the field and what needs to be done outside the field.”

Kohli was severely targeted by the Australians. Lyon had described him as the ‘head of the snake’ hinting that if the head is cut off, the body will fall apart. The head was indeed cut off as Kohli struggled to make runs in the series but such comments left a bad taste in the mouth. A number of ex-Australian cricketers including Ian Healy and Brad Hodge took unnecessary jibes at the Indian skipper making the series furthermore bitter.

Despite the controversies, Rohit said that the Border-Gavaskar series was the best of the home season. “Against Australia was the best series. The way it went through from the first Test match, (India) losing it and then to bounce back was fantastic. This series was not just about individuals but there were a lot of the other guys who came in at different times, performed and took up the challenge which is why I think it is the best series. Wickets were not so easy; it was a little challenging for the batters. Hats off to everybody who came in and batted, scored runs, took wickets at crucial junctions of the game, yeah it was wonderful to watch from the outside,” said Rohit.

Rohit fought against time to be fit for the IPL which starts on Wednesday. He will be hoping to use this tournament as a stepping stone for a smooth transition back into the Indian team ahead of their title defence of the ICC Champions Trophy in June. Mumbai Indians will play their first game against Steven Smith’s Pune Supergiant on April 6.