The former top-order batter of the Indian side, Sanjay Manjrekar, has kept both the veterans of the national side, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, in addressing their poor performance during the ongoing Border Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) 2024-25 and also at home against New Zealand in the three-match series. Both have been underwhelming in the last three red-ball fixtures of the trip.
Rohit missed the opening game of the series before putting himself in the middle order for the next two games in Adelaide Oval and the Gabba, followed by his promotion to the opening position in Sydney. None of these helped him get the smoothness with the bat back. His struggle against his opposite number, Pat Cummins, has been exposed by the latter.
The same could be told for Virat Kohli, who got to his 30th red-ball century in the second innings of the Perth Test but has smashed only 67 runs in the other six innings at an average of 11.11, having carried the same issue outside the off-stump for the last three games.
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Sanjay Manjrekar has criticized both of the veteran players but believes that Kohli should be given a longer rope than Rohit, besides questioning the batting coach, Abhishek Nayar, and the head coach, Gautam Gambhir, for the Delhi-born getting dismissed in the same fashion for such a long time.
Sanjay Manjrekar backs Virat Kohli to earn a longer rope in Test cricket
Rohit finished the year 2024 with 619 runs in the longest format in 26 innings at an average of just over 24 with the help of two centuries and as many half-centuries at the best score of 131 runs. Virat, on the flip of the coin, has gone through the same debacle, getting 417 runs in 19 innings at an average of 24.53 with the help of one century and one half-century.
“I must say there is no comparison between Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli as Test batters. Virat Kohli is right up there. He’s a great Test batter, and Rohit Sharma is a good Test batter. Rohit’s white-ball batting great.” Sanjay Manjrekar expressed during a discussion on Star Sports at the end of India’s 184-run defeat at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in the fourth Test.
“So Virat Kohli deserves a longer rope. It’s not so much about Virat Kohli. I want to know what the batting coach of India is doing. We can’t solve the obvious problem of such a fine player. Enough has been said about Virat Kohli, we just have to leave him alone.” The Mysore-born added.
The veteran assessed the contribution of Indian cricket in the last eight Test matches, where he has found it hard to score against the Bangladesh pacers and New Zealand spinners at home, besides carrying the same baggage down under. The former batter claimed that the 37-year-old has the power to do what would be the best for Indian cricket.
“It’s not really up to Rohit Sharma. If you look at how the protocol and the hierarchy of team selection, the chairman of selectors, has the decision to make. He has the power to do what’s best for Indian cricket, so it’s not so much about Rohit Sharma himself, you know, deciding what should be the future.” Sanjay Manjrekar shaded light.
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The five innings for the Nagpur-born in the recent BGT were three, six, ten, three, and nine, which collectively became 31 runs in five innings at an average of 6.20.
“The chairman of the selector has that power. That’s with Rohit and he does look down in the doldrums. Virat Kohli is a different issue altogether.” Sanjay Manjrekar concluded.