India's ODI captain, Rohit Sharma, has criticized the nation's cricket journalism and commentary, saying it is more concerned with stirring up controversy and adding "masala" than it is with talking about the subtleties of the game. According to Rohit, true cricket fans who are keen to learn more about the game are being harmed by the current state of commentary in India.

Drawing parallels from his tours in Australia, Rohit noted that there is a far higher level of interest in hearing commentary there. The 38-year-old stated bluntly that there is a significant difference in quality between commentary in India and other cricketing countries.

Rohit Sharma on Indian commentary

Instead of enjoying and analyzing the game itself, Rohit, who declared his retirement from Test cricket on Wednesday, accused Indian broadcasters of concentrating on a single star player and frequently talking about his personal life.

"You guys are focused on creating controversy, on blowing up news. The quality of journalism has gone down. Earlier, conversations would revolve around cricket. Now, it's all about getting views, and likes, and making more people read your articles. Very little is written or spoken about the game itself. Tactics, analysis - it's all missing," Rohit told Vimal Kumar on his YouTube show.

"When there's a match on, we watch it on TV. But listen to how commentators speak these days. When we go to Australia, we hear their commentary and the difference in quality is vast. Here, it's so disappointing - and I'm being very honest. It seems like they just want to single out a player and keep talking about him or her. It's very disappointing.

"There are so many people who want to know about the game. Why do they need masala? They are true cricket lovers. I know there's this belief nowadays that fans want masala, but there are also those who want to understand the game. For instance, they want to know why someone's form has dipped, what he's doing wrong. They want that insight. Don't talk about personal stuff. Yes, you have a platform to speak, but that doesn't mean you can say anything. Respect the players," he added.

Senior players have expressed worries about the calibre of commentary in India, and Rohit is not the only one. In the past, Virat Kohli has also been outspoken in his criticism. Players are more than happy to take criticism for their performances, Rohit explained, but he took issue with what he called "agenda-driven" criticism.

"Yes, things have sometimes gone out of our hands and we haven't performed well. We fully deserve criticism for that. Yes, we didn't do well against New Zealand at home - so yes, criticise us. But there's a way to criticise people. I think here, it's agenda-driven criticism. That's not likeable," he said.

Notably, India faced a difficult tour of Australia in 2024–2025 while Rohit was captain. To the annoyance of the leadership group, information from the dressing room was leaked. After losing the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 1-3 and missing the World Test Championship final for the first time, India's long-standing Test domination waned. Last year, India also suffered whitewashed 0-3 in a home series for the first time.

Get Latest News Live on Times Now along with Breaking News and Top Headlines from IPL 2025,IPL Orange Cap, IPL Purple Cap, Most Sixes in IPL, Cricket, Sports and around the world.