Harbhajan Singh, the former spin great, believes that Rohit Sharma deserves the support of the Indian cricket establishment as criticism of his captaincy has gone "overboard." Rohit has faced backlash from fans and former cricketers, including Sunil Gavaskar, who questioned his leadership during the World Test Championship final against Australia. However, Harbhajan, who has closely observed Rohit in both the Indian and Mumbai Indians dressing rooms, emphasized the respect that the cricketer commands from his peers.
Harbhajan stated in an interview with PTI, "I find that people are going a bit overboard... the way Rohit has been criticised. Cricket is a team sport and one individual cannot take you from one place to other."
The veteran spinner emphasized the importance of providing support to Rohit instead of solely focusing on recent results. Harbhajan stated, "He will come good and we need to show faith in him and we need to support him rather than pinpointing that you are not doing this or that."
Harbhajan also highlighted the significance of BCCI support for a captain, like the support given to previous influential Indian captains such as Sourav Ganguly, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, and Virat Kohli. Harbhajan expressed hope that Rohit is receiving similar backing from the BCCI.
The veteran spinner concluded by stating, "If you have support from BCCI, you can work freely. Not just MS Dhoni or Virat Kohli, if you go back a little further, a lot of captains have got support from BCCI presidents of that time."
He believes that with the backing of the BCCI, Rohit will have the freedom to make the right decisions at the right time.