Kohli & Rohit not robots, deserve empathy: Pietersen

Mumbai, Feb 4: Out-of-form veterans Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma deserve a lot of empathy as they are "not robots," and one shouldn't forget the kind of joy they provided in their pomp, former England skipper Kevin Pietersen said on Tuesday.

Both Kohli and Rohit have been struggling, and after a 1-3 defeat against Australia, the calls of retirement have only grown louder.

"(It’s) unfair. How can you tell somebody who's scored as many runs as these guys they must retire? Yes, it's a discussion and it's a topic. I get it, I understand it, but they deserve more respect than that," Pietersen said during a promotional event.

Pietersen had a love-hate relationship with British media, and he knows exactly how the two stars feel.

"Having had exactly the same challenges in my career, it happens. Rohit and Virat are not robots. They don't walk out there and get a hundred every time they bat. Maybe they had one bad Australian tour. Does that make them bad people? No. Does it make them bad cricketers? Absolutely not," he said.

He wants cricket lovers to understand that stars are humans too.

"You guys need to understand, these guys are human beings. You give them bamboo now, but at the end of their careers, you look back, and how did they make you feel when they played? They made people feel happy."

"It's not all about statistics. It's not all about winning and not about losing, and you finish your career like I did, people talk to me about how I made them feel when I played."

Pietersen continued, "A Virat makes people feel amazing. Rohit makes people feel amazing, so they should be celebrated, they get to 36, 37, or 38. I always feel those kinds of players should be celebrated."