"If you don’t score a fifty in 14 matches, questions will be raised"- Kapil Dev on Rohit Sharma

Legendary Indian all-rounder Kapil Dev has questioned the ongoing lean patch of skipper Rohit Sharma, stating that the stylish batter should have played in the T20I series against South Africa.

Rohit endured a horrendous IPL season where he couldn't manage a single 50+ score across 14 innings for the first time since the league's inception.

In 14 outings, Sharma managed just 248 runs at an average of 19.14 and a strike rate of 120.17.

While Kapil lauded the skill and talent Rohit possesses, he reckoned that one cannot continue living on past reputation. It will be 'impossible' to silence the detractors if he doesn't regain his form.

"It's hard to know today who has been rested or asked to be rested. Only selectors will know about this," Kapil Dev said on UnCut, as quoted by the Hindustan Times.

"The player (Rohit) is brilliant, no question about that. But if you don't score a fifty in 14 matches, questions will be raised, be it Gary Sobers, Don Bradman, Virat Kohli, Sachin Tendulkar, Sunil Gavaskar or Viv Richards. Only Rohit can answer that what's happening. Is it too much (cricket) or has he stopped enjoying it?" he added.

"If performance has dropped, then hard to stop people from talking"- Kapil Dev 

Not only Rohit, the former seam-bowling all-rounder also pointed toward Virat Kohli's poor form in recent months, adding that one can't go too far ahead based on his past exploits.

Virat also endured a poor IPL, where he could only manage two 50+ scores across 16 innings.

Dev reckoned that Rohit and Virat should play as many games as possible to regain their glory days.

"Players like Rohit and Virat (Kohli) should enjoy the game. How they feel is very important. You have to score runs (to get back in form). You cannot go too far based on reputation alone. Eventually, the opportunities will get dried up. How many chances would you need after 14 games? Can't understand why they're rested. If dropped, where they will get a chance to play then? It's quite difficult to see how they play now," Kapil said.

"What I feel is that these players need to correct their thinking. I would be happy if they prove me wrong. If you aren't scoring runs, then there's a problem somewhere. Either there's too much cricket or too less. We only see one thing - how you perform. If performance has dropped, then hard to stop people from talking. It's not possible. Your performance and bat should speak. Rest doesn't matter," he added.

Virat and Rohit are extremely crucial to India's fortunes, and with many crucial assignments coming up, one can only hope they regain their form.