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Watch: Rohit Sharma attacked for 'manhandling' Ishan Kishan on field during IND vs AUS 4th Test, video creates confusion
After visuals of Rohit Sharma and Ishan Kishan from the Indore Test had gone viral, another clip of the two during India vs Australia 4th Test has created quite the stir on social media.
Rohit Sharma has his own ways of expressing himself. Unlike his predecessor Virat Kohli, Rohit does not wear his heart on his sleeves, but instead the India captain experiences sudden bursts of emotions – these can be funny, angry, or simply casual. There are many layers to Rohit the captain. Go through his carefree attitude while answering questions in press conferences and you'll get the idea. Rohit has his own ways of motiving players or bringing the most out of them. Not too long ago, a visual of Rohit grabbing Dinesh Karthik by his neck and playfully addressing him had gone viral, and while everything was done in jest, social media hyped it up, calling it 'aggressive' and what not.
Similarly on Thursday, another act from Rohit roughed up Twitter the wrong way. During a passage of play, Ishan Kishan the substitute fielder came running to offer a bottle of water, and on his way back, dropped it on the ground. As Ishan came back to pick it, Rohit playfully attempted to hit Kishan but the youngster escaped. However, the whole matter was blown out of proportion on Twitter once again, with users accusing the India captain of 'manhandling' and 'disrespecting' Ishan Kishan.
Watch the video below:
Having said that, some users jumped to Rohit's defence trying to put their point forward that the India captain was being nothing but playful through his act. Ishan and Rohit go back a long way. They have been playing together for IPL franchise Mumbai Indians for years and both have been very jovial and light-hearted in the recent BCCI-uploaded conversations, including the most recent one where Rohit sarcastically asked Ishan why he didn't play the next game for India despite scoring a double hundred against Bangladesh in December last year.
It wasn't the first time that Rohit and Ishan were caught in a candid mood. In fact, during the Indore Test, when India were batting in their second innings, visuals of Rohit's animated discussions with Ishan in the dressing room had caught the internet by fire. Rohit was spotted using hand gestures and manic expressions to convey his point to Ishan. By all means, it was an indication that he perhaps wanted his batters to hit over the infield since after the message was passed, Cheteshwar Pujara smashed the biggest six of the match.
When asked about it, Rohit said: "That's quite personal to be honest. What I... very personal stuff. It had nothing to do with the game. It was a pretty personal talk. If it was a tactical thing, I would have told you."
Ishan and his place in the India's Playing XI has also become a red-hot topic of debate. Ishan, who earned his maiden Test call-up for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2023 did not find a place in the team despite KS Bharat's repeated failures with the bat. But Rohit had cleared the air around the matter once and for all when he revealed his conversation with Ishan regarding the same.
"If you want to play on pitches like these, you have to be ready for guys failing in some innings. You got to back these guys. That's what we are doing with KS. He has experience, he is a good keeper. I spoke to Ishan (Kishan) as well, even when he gets his chances, he will also get a number of games. We won't drop him after two matches. That's unfair. That's what we are doing with KS Bharat now," the captain said.
