India vs Pakistan | 'Will you drop Rohit Sharma?' questions Virat Kohli after 'brave question' from journalist
Rohit Sharma (L) and Virat Kohli during a match
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Virat Kohli was left shocked after a journalist in the post-match press conference asked if Ishan Kishan could have been preferred over Rohit Sharma for the the India versus Pakistan clash on Sunday. In the match, Rohit Sharma departed for a golden duck and India lost by 10 wickets to Pakistan.
A puzzled Kohli asked back the reporter if he would drop Rohit Sharma from a T20 international before holding his head in his hands and laughing off the question.Â
Here is what happened during the second question at Kohli's post-match press conference.
Question: Regarding the selection of the team, many people were talking. Ishan Kishan played pretty well in the warm-up match. Do you think that it's a mistake if Ishan Kishan, could play and he could do better than Rohit Sharma?
Virat Kohli: "That's a very brave question. What do you think, sir? I played the team that I thought was the best. What is your opinion?"
"Will you drop Rohit Sharma from T20 international? Will you drop Rohit Sharma? Do you know what he did in the last game we played? Unbelievable (laughs). Sir, if you want controversy, please tell me before so I can answer accordingly," he added.
The question had come on the back of India'a shocking defeat at the hands of arch-rivals Pakistan at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Sunday. After being asked to bat first, Rohit departed for a golden duck in the first over after a brilliant yorker from Shaheen Afridi. The pacer returned in his second over to send KL Rahul packing and later Suryakumar Yadav was also undone cheaply by Hasan Ali. India managed 151 courtesy fighting knocks from Kohli (57) and Rishabh Pant (39), however, that did not prove enough as Pakistan gunned down the target with 10 wickets and 13 balls remaining.Â
Ishan Kishan had scored a fifty in India's first warm-up game ahead of the Super 12s, against England. Rohit, who was rested from the first warm-up match, returned for the second and top-scored for India against Australia with a brisk 60 off 41 balls.Â
The 32-year-old was also asked if India felt overconfident in the lead up to the T20 World Cup 2021 opener against Pakistan. Notably, India had a 12-0 record against Pakistan at World Cups before Sunday, Ahead of Sunday's clash, India had won all their five T20 World Cup matches against Pakistan.Â
"You know its amazing what reality is and what ideas people will have on the outside," Kohli said responding to another journalist.Â
"There is no shame in accepting that the opposition played better. They did not let us in at any stage and didn't allow us to put pressure at any stage,"Â Kohli added.
