ex indian opener Virender Sehwag has taken part in the growing scrutiny surrounding Ajinkya Lahanisuggested that players should respond to criticism calmly rather than emotionally.Rahane He recently found himself in the limelight after he reacted strongly to questions about his scoring rate during Kolkata Knight Riders’ match against Sunrisers Hyderabad. The KKR skipper defended his approach, pointing to his numbers in recent seasons and rebutting his critics.“My batting average… from 2023, my batting average is one of the best so far. The people who are talking about it probably don’t watch the game and don’t have a specific agenda against me. They don’t like me playing,” Rahane said.The KKR skipper had earlier also hit the headlines for his sharp response on the matter Cameron GreenThe team’s absence from the tournament after losing the first match to Mumbai Indians has pointed questions at Cricket Australia.Responding to the comments, Sehwag believed Rahane was engaging in avoidable exchanges and urged a more balanced approach.“I don’t think players should say all this. I know he was the captain and he was asked why Cameron Green wasn’t bowling. He didn’t have a straight answer to that, so he said to ask Cricket Australia,” Sehwag said on Cricbuzz.“I can understand that. But if someone questions my strike rate or batting style, people will praise you and they will criticize you, but you have to remain neutral. Why is there a need to have such a fight?” Sehwag asked.Sehwag drew comparisons with some of the biggest names in Indian cricket, pointing out how legends handle criticism without public reaction.“They seem to be responding to their critics, but even Amitabh Bachchan never responded to his critics. There is no bigger example than Tendulkar, one newspaper even wrote ‘Endulkar’,” Sehwag added.On the field, Rahane started IPL 2026 with a smooth 40-ball 67 against Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium, scoring 167.5 runs. However, in KKR’s first home match against Sunrisers Hyderabad, he scored just 8 runs from 10 deliveries.The criticism has intensified as Kolkata Knight Riders have had a tough start to the season. They lost their first two matches and took one point when the third match against Kings XI Punjab was forced to be abandoned due to heavy rain.In that match, KKR were already under pressure at 25/2 in 3.4 overs, find alan Cameron Green dismissed him cheaply before the weather affected him.The team’s struggles went beyond the results and their batting order failed to work and Rahane decided to open the innings. Meanwhile, Green’s continued absence due to injury management adds to the uncertainty about the team’s balance.
