Rohit lays bare rocky ties between players and media

If the recent narrative has been about the failure of superstars, an interesting subtext is the rocky relationship between the team and the media.

- Amrit Mathur

Rewind to the Rohit Sharma interview during the last Test when he explained his decision not to play that game. In his usual pleasant manner he said he was not dropped/sitting out/rested/retired - only opting out because "form nahin hai, bat nahin chal rah". Sensible, honest stuff.

According to Rohit, opting out was a thought-through decision because team interest comes first and he is a mature "do bacchae ka baap". But towards the end of the interview came a killer throwaway line that reveals the status of the player-media relationship.

The opt-out decision, Rohit said, was not influenced by the opinion of those with a "mike, pen or a laptop".

Players and media have a strange relationship - both are part of cricket, at the crease together, but their partnership is always strained, occasionally toxic. In a sense, they occupy two corners in the ring, a wide gap separating them. It's a broken marriage with irreconcilable differences that no counsellor can resolve, and separation or divorce is not an option. It is a turbulent flight through rough weather where the seat belt sign is on all the time.