Farhan Akhtar calls Rohit Sharma 'superstar' amid retirement talks
- By Web Desk -
- Jan 04, 2025
Bollywood actor-filmmaker Farhan Akhtar defended ‘selfless superstar’ Rohit Sharma amid the Indian cricketer’s retirement rumours.
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Taking to his Instagram handle on Saturday morning, Farhan Akhtar hailed the Hitman, following Sharma’s decision to stand down from the ongoing fifth AUS v IND Test, at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG), as the team needed a ‘player in form’ for the critical final test.
“This guy has done so much for Indian cricket and captained our team incredibly well and successfully over the years. His skill with the bat speaks for itself and there have been innumerable innings in which he’s shown us the elite level he performs at,” Akhtar wrote for Sharma.
He continued, “Yes, this sport can be cruel and you’d be hard-pressed to come up with a name of a cricketer who hasn’t gone through a lean period. We’ve seen the greatest batsmen and bowlers struggle for form .. at times we’ve secretly wished that they would take a break, find their form in domestic cricket or the nets, then make a comeback. You’d be hard-pressed to think of someone, more so a captain, who did that voluntarily.”
“Now here’s a guy who’s putting his team’s chances of a win ahead of himself finding form,” applauded the Bollywood celebrity and criticised those who chose to ‘tear him down instead’. “Ask yourself.. why would anyone do this again if this is how the world responds to a man thinking of the larger cause than his own glory?”
To conclude, Akhtar called Sharma a ‘superstar’ and noted, “You know what you’re doing and I know you won’t let the negativity get you down.. but just want to say thank you for showing the world that you put team before individual. It’s a hard thing to do and only the strongest of mind and heart can do it. That’s what makes a great leader.”
For the unversed, Indian skipper Rohit Sharma stood down from the final AUS v IND Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy because he was ‘not in form’. However, to refute his retirement rumours, the cricketer confirmed, “I’m not going anywhere. This decision is not a retirement decision nor am I going to step aside from the game.”
Also Read: Navjot Sidhu slams Rohit Sharma’s omission from SCG Test
Meanwhile, on the work front, Akhtar will be next seen in Razneesh Ghai’s ‘120 Bahadur’, set against the backdrop of the 1962 Indo-China war.