Vidya Balan & Farhan Akhtar's public show of support for Rohit Sharma sparks buzz of PR campaign

On Instagram and ‘X’ (formerly Twitter), Balan shared a post that read: “Rohit Sharma, what a SUPERSTAR!! To take a pause & catch your breath requires courage… More power to you … Respect…”

However, social media users were quick to notice that neither of the actors follows Sharma online, and their posts appeared strikingly similar. This fueled speculation that their support might be part of a PR campaign for the cricketer.

New Delhi: Indian cricket captain Rohit Sharma’s decision to sit out the final Test match of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Sydney on Friday was widely praised as a ‘courageous’ and ‘selfless’ act, with celebrities Vidya Balan and Farhan Akhtar applauding his ‘courage to take a break’.

However, Vidya’s post included a screenshot of a WhatsApp message with identical text. While some of her followers appreciated the gesture, others accused her of simply sharing a PR-forwarded message. Vidya later reportedly deleted the post, but not before a screenshot of it went viral online.

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Akhtar, too, called Sharma a ‘superstar’ in a post on Instagram and hoped to ‘see him back on field soon’. To this, Sharma’s wife Ritika Sajdeh responded with a tear emoji.

The public support from Bollywood personalities has fueled speculation about the involvement of PR teams in promoting the cricketer. His decision to skip the fifth Test has also sparked rumours about a potential retirement from Test cricket, adding to the intrigue surrounding the situation.

Rohit Sharma has had a tough run in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, managing just 31 runs so far in the series. He was unavailable for the Perth Test and joined the team in Adelaide, but has not been able to make a significant impact since.

On Sunday, Australia won by 6 wickets in the final Test match at Sydney to clinch the Border-Gavaskar Trophy for the first time in 10 years.

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‘I am not going anywhere’

The Indian cricket captain addressed the rumours directly, stating that his decision was not related to retirement. In an interview with Star Sports, Sharma clarified, “I have stood down from this Test but I am not going anywhere. This is not a retirement or moving away from the format. A guy with a mic, pen, or laptop, whatever they write or say, doesn’t matter. They cannot decide for us. I took the call to stand down after coming to Sydney. Yes, runs are not coming, but there’s no guarantee that I won’t score in the future. I am mature enough to know what I am doing.”

He explained that his decision was based on a simple conversation with the coach and selectors. “I told them my bat is not scoring runs, I am not in form, and this is an important match where we need players in form. We can’t afford to carry out-of-form players, and that’s why I decided to stand down. The coach and selectors backed my decision and supported me fully, saying that after all these years, I am the best judge of what I need to do.”

Indian vice-captain Jasprit Bumrah called it a sign of ‘unity and lack of selfishness’ from the captain. Former Indian cricketer Parthiv Patel also called it ‘selfless’ to set oneself aside, noting that this is perhaps the first time a captain has chosen to opt out.

(Edited by Tony Rai)

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