The former Indian top-order batter, Sanjay Manjrekar, feels that the current captain of the national side in the longest format of the game, Rohit Sharma, has been struggling in the ongoing Border Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) 2024-25 due to his self-doubt due to the lack of confidence with not many runs coming off his blade in the recent time.
Rohit Sharma has hit rock bottom since the home Tests against Bangladesh in September as he could manage only 91 runs in six innings at an average of around 15 with just one half-century in the second innings of the first Test at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru against New Zealand.
The opening batter missed the first red-ball clash at the Optus Stadium in Perth before returning in the middle order of the second day-night affair at the Adelaide Oval. In the last 13 Test innings, the right-handed batter averages just under 12 with one 50+ score, as he has notched up 19 runs in three innings of the BGT 2024-25 at an average of 6.33.
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Rohit Sharma was undone by the straight swinging delivery from Scott Boland in the first innings of Adelaide before Pat Cummins, his opposite number, squared him up to disturb the stumps under the full effects of the floodlights in the second innings.
Sanjay Manjrekar blames Rohit Sharma’s poor defense in BGT 2024-25
India was under immense pressure at the Gabba, losing four wickets when their leader walked out into the middle but couldn’t resist himself for a long time before going for a booming drive to end up in the hands of the wicket-keeper, Alex Carey.
The former Indian batter, Sanjay Manjrekar, has spoken about the dismal run of Rohit Sharma in the ongoing five-match series.
“He is short of confidence with self-doubts. And a bit of a rude shock when he played in that home series against New Zealand, and his defense was getting breached on Indian pitches.” The Mumbai-born expressed this during an interaction on ESPNcricinfo.
The veteran gave up the opening spot to KL Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal after their 201-run opening stand in the second innings of the Perth encounter, which they went on to win by 295 runs to go 0-1 up in the series.
Manjrekar believes that the defensive approach of the batter has been deserting him during the run of poor Test form in comparison to his performance in England during the 2021 series.
“So for someone, who, in 2021, when he had that terrific series in England, and scored a strike rate of 42, which is a bit Pujara-like, and the entire series, he batted for about 21 hours.” Sanjay Manjrekar reckoned.
“This was a discovery for all of us, and now when he has to bring that game back, he just can’t find the defensive game. So that’s where the problem lies – Just gone to pieces, his defense.” The veteran highlighted.
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Rohit Sharma drilled 368 runs in those four Tests in England at an average of 53.57 and a strike rate of 42.49, where he batted for hours and left so many deliveries outside the off-stump.
“I remember commentating on that series (2021 England) and kept saying ‘this is Pujara-like’, the way he was grinding away. And I thought it was the rebirth of Rohit Sharma, the Test cricketer, who got those two centuries in his first two Tests. I also felt this is his true calling, this is what he loves to do – which is playing for time like a typical Mumbai batter.” Sanjay Manjrekar concluded.