Rohit Sharma irked by questions on Virat Kohli's performance, says 'answered this question a lot of times'

On Thursday, Team India will play the 1st match of their three-match ODI series against the West Indies in Barbados. Following a triumphant 1-0 series victory in the Tests against the West Indies, the second Test ended in a draw due to rain on the final day. 

READ | India vs West Indies ODI series: Full India squad, start time, venues, date, where to watch on OTT and more

The upcoming ODI series will mark India's first limited-overs encounter since March of this year, when they faced Australia in a three-match series, ultimately losing 1-2 on their home turf. 

However, this time around, India will be confronting a West Indies team that faced challenges in the past month, even failing to qualify for the 2023 ODI World Cup.

During the Test series against the West Indies, India dominated, and amidst the impressive performances, one highlight was Virat Kohli's first overseas red-ball century in almost five years. The last time Kohli achieved a Test century on foreign soil was in December 2018 during a match in Perth, where he showcased his brilliance with a remarkable 121 before being run out.

Interestingly, Kohli also secured his first Test century in over three months earlier this year during the series against Australia. 

Additionally, he went through a three-year period without a century between 2019 and 2022, which had become a significant talking point, especially after India's return to cricket following the Covid pandemic in 2020.

Following Kohli's century in the West Indies, the team's captain, Rohit Sharma, faced questions about the significance of players like Kohli reaching three-figure marks. 

A reporter raised concerns about Kohli's recent lack of centuries and inquired whether the team discussed this matter internally. 

In response, the Indian skipper, who has addressed this question multiple times before, emphasized that the team remains unaffected by "outside noises" and stays focused on their game.

"I've answered this question a lot of times. All the outside talk, who scored how many, took how many wickets... people who say such things don't know what happens inside. For us, what happens inside stays inside. We prefer that. For us, the most important is to win matches, not who's talking about what. It doesn't matter to us," Rohit said.

"Our priority is the three ODI matches right now, we're focussing on that," he added.

After the conclusion of the three-match ODI series, India will face the Windies in a thrilling five-match T20I series which will be led by Hardik Pandya.