Former Indian Test opener Aakash Chopra reckons Rohit Sharma wasn’t taking potshots at anyone with his hunger remark. After winning the fourth Test match against England by five wickets to take an unassailable lead of 3-1 in the series, Rohit said they will give opportunities to only those players who are hungry to succeed in the Test format.

Rohit admitted that the red-ball version is the toughest format of the game and players need to work hard to reap rewards. Recently BCCI secretary Jay Shah also urged the players to play for their respective states in the domestic circuit and not skip the crucial Ranji Trophy.

“Rohit Sharma has said that this is the toughest format and if you have to succeed in that, you need a lot of discipline and dedication. He also said that it’s evident if someone does not have that hunger, but he was not hinting at anyone.”

“If you hear his entire bite until the end, he also said that there is no one within the playing group or outside who is saying that they don’t want to play. So he was not taking potshots at anyone,” said Chopra on his YouTube Channel.

Meanwhile, Rohit minced no words and said his players need to grab their opportunities to cement their place in the Test team as competition is intense.

“It’s a tough format and if you want success and if you want to excel, then hunger is very important. We will only give chances to the ones, who have that hunger. You eventually get to know who doesn’t have that hunger to play Tests,” Rohit said in the post-match press conference.

“The ones who want to play, have the hunger to perform, play in tough conditions, will be given preference. If there’s no hunger, then there’s no point playing them. I don’t see anyone who doesn’t have that hunger. If you don’t make use of opportunities, they will go. The ones who perform and help teams win, they get more attention,” Rohit said.

The fifth and final Test match between India and England will be played at Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium, Dharamsala from March 7.