Former cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar wants ‘great’ Virat Kohli and ‘good’ Rohit Sharma to be treated differently for their inconsistent form. Manjrekar said Virat Kohli deserves a ‘longer rope’ and the focus should be on fixing his batting chink, while adding that the chairman of selectors — Ajit Agarkar — needs to make a call on what’s best for Indian cricket.
Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli got out for nine and five respectively in the chase of 340 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) in the fourth Test of the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy. While Rohit has a best score of ten from five innings in the series, Virat Kohli has been unable to rectify his weakness against full balls outside off, despite being India’s fourth-highest run-scorer.
Virat Kohli and Rohit’s horrific form continued in the crucial Boxing Day Test, where Team India suffered a 184-run defeat to the hosts, Australia, who are now leading the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 with a 2-1 margin, with the final Test scheduled for Sydney from January 3.
Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma’s poor run of form in current BGT 2024-25
While India have constantly backed Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, they will feel that the time is running out quickly for them. Both the players haven’t enjoyed the greatest of times recently, especially in Test cricket.
Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma had a poor home Test season which involved matches against Bangladesh and New Zealand. Virat Kohli scored 192 runs in five Tests at an average of 21.33 while Rohit scored just 133 runs in five Tests at an average of 13.10.
Virat Kohli recently slammed a brilliant hundred in the first Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Perth. However, he failed again in both the innings of Adelaide. Meanwhile, Rohit Sharma has played just one match in the ongoing series but looked awfully out of form.
India greats Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli are going through a massive slump in Test cricket. Virat Kohli did manage to score a hundred in the first Test against Australia in Perth, but he hasn’t matched the standards he set in the first half of his career for a very long time. For Rohit Sharma, the concerns are greater as the Indian captain has looked a pale shadow of his own. With so much talent waiting in the wing, questions are now being raised if the two veterans deserve a place in the team.
Virat Kohli has managed just 167 runs in seven innings in BGT 2024-25 so far, averaging 27.83. He scored a hundred in the second innings of the Perth Test but barring that has done precious little of note. He reached 36 in the first innings in Melbourne but seemed to get rattled by Jaiswal’s run-out and perished soon after, yet again playing a loose stroke outside off.
Rohit Sharma , who missed the first Test, has only managed 31 runs in five innings at a dismal average of 6.20, with a best of 10. He has not looked in any kind of batting rhythm at all across the three Test matches that he has been part of.
In the fourth Test against Australia, Rohit made a solid start but was dismissed for just 9 after facing 40 balls, while Kohli fell cheaply again for 5, continuing his struggle with deliveries outside the off-stump. Both batters have struggled in 2024, with averages just above 24 in Test cricket.
The Indian skipper has two centuries and two half-centuries this year, while Kohli has one ton and one fifty to his name in Test cricket in 2024. Fans and many experts have been suggesting that the Indian batting icons must consider retiring from Tests after their consistently poor scores in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 in Australia.
There are calls from a section of the cricket fraternity to move on from the Ro-Ko pair and promote the deserving next generation of Indian cricketers. Citing the examples of Ajinkya Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara, they want no special treatment to Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, calling for performance to be the only criteria to play in team India.
However, Sanjay Manjrekar feels Kohli should be given more chances and hailed the dashing right-hander as one of the greatest Test batters, but he also questioned India’s batting coach Abhishek Nayar’s role, as the latter continues to get out in the same fashion.
Former India batter Sanjay Manjrekar makes huge statement on Virat Kohli’s failures in BGT 2024-25
Former India batter Sanjay Manjrekar has slammed Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma over their consistent failures in BGT 2024-25. Reacting to their dismissals on Day 5 of the Boxing Day Test, Manjrekar said that Kohli’s all-time greatness could be under doubt, while Rohit played a stroke that was inexcusable.
Team India went down to Australia by 184 runs in Melbourne in the fourth Test of the five-match series on Monday, December 30. Chasing 340, the visitors were bowled out for 155 in 79.1 overs. Rohit (9) was caught at gully, attempting a whip off Pat Cummins. Kohli (5) yet again perished chasing a wide ball outside the off stump from Mitchell Starc.
Speaking to ESPNCricinfo after India’s disappointing batting effort, Manjrekar questioned the shot selection from both of India’s senior batters. He commented:
“Rohit Sharma, the shot that he played after playing so well, I don’t think there’s an excuse for that. That has to be looked at as a mistake. That Virat Kohli keeps getting out in this fashion makes you doubt his all-time greatness because it is just becoming a bit too much.”
After India lost three wickets for 33 runs, Yashasvi Jaiswal (84) and Rishabh Pant (30) lifted the visitors with a fourth-wicket stand of 88. However, the latter perished to part-time spinner Travis Head, miscuing an attempted pull. While Pant came in for a lot of criticism over his choice of stroke, Manjrekar wondered whether India were making an outside attempt at chasing the target. The 59-year-old said:
“As for Pant, I just wonder, in that last session, because India had so many wickets in hand, whether there was some talk. In the press conference, Rohit Sharma alluded to it that. With wickets in hand, they thought they could make one attempt with Pant out there and see if things happen – some miraculous recovery could happen. If that wasn’t the case, they could play out for a draw.”
India’s batting crumbled after Pant’s exit as they went from 121-4 to 155 all-out. For Australia, skipper Cummins and pacer Scott Boland picked up three wickets each, while off-spinner Nathan Lyon chipped in with two. India are behind 2-1 in the series. The final Test will be played between January 3-7 at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG).