The ugly side of Indian cricket

India is widely regarded as the most cricket-crazy nation in the world, and rightfully so - Indian fans are, without any shadow of doubt, the most passionate cricket fans in the world. I truly admire their passion, as do most others in the cricketing faternity. However, there is also a very ugly side to this passion, a side which rears it's head on social media quite frequently - I am certain that by now you know exactly what I am referring to, the HOURS AND DAYS spent on pointless fanwars of players that both represent the same nation.

Those Indian cricket fans that are TRUE cricket fans, realize the value of both Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli in the Indian squad. True cricket fans understand that Rohit and Virat play different roles and are equally important to the team. Sure, there's nothing wrong in some harmless banter - but that line was crossed a long time ago when so called "fans" resorted to fat shaming Rohit or bringing Virat's wife into things. It is simply childish, to say the least.

Virat and Rohit are not insecure, why should their fans be? what exactly will you gain by fatshaming Rohit? what will you gain by referring to Kohli a Chokli?

I will not delve into their statistics and milestones in this post as that would take me all day, as they are both extremely accomplished players with several records to their names. They are both so, so special.

Rohit Sharma is by far one of the best and most destructive openers I have seen in my life - in limited overs internationals as an opener, he ranks amognst the very best, the likes of Hashim Amla, Adam Gilchrist, David Warner, Hayden, Gibbs etc. Time and time again, he proves his worth at the top of the order for India - he has scored when the team has needed him most, be it bilaterals or ICC tournaments.

Virat Kohli is simply a run MACHINE that deserves every single word of praise that comes his way. To average 50+ is all three formats is simply ridiculous, to say the least - it represents a crazy work ethic and hungry for runs; and most of all, it represents a level of determination that needs to be applauded and appreciated. And if he wants to be aggressive, then so be it, nobody should be offended by his aggression because it brings the best out of it.

As a neutral, I am a huge fan of both of them as they have both worked so hard to achieve all their milestones. And pinning one against the other isn't just unnecessary, it's extremely childish. If you truly wanted India to succeed as a team, the value of both players needs to be understood.