Not Rohit, Rahul or Gill! Manjrekar names player who can challenge Kohli as 'next best Test batter'

After a thrilling Test series against South Africa that ended in a 1-1 draw, the Indian Cricket Team will now play a three-match Twenty20 International series against Afghanistan, starting on January 11, 2024, at Mohali. This year, in the United States and the West Indies, the Indian team will start preparing for the T20I World Cup. Many in the nation are worried about whether elite veterans like Rohit Sharama and Virat Kohli would take part in the short format. Nonetheless, the superstar pair was included in the team for the T20I series against Afghanistan, which Rohit Sharma will captain, when the roster was made official on Sunday.

3 things you need to know

• Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli have been named in the T20I squad against Afghanistan
• Virat Kohli was one of the only few batters to shine in South Africa Test series 
• Virat Kohli was named the Player of the Tournament in ICC ODI World Cup 2023

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Sanjay Manjrekar made a huge statement about Virat Kohli after South Africa series

Indian batsman Virat Kohli proved his mettle during the two-match Test series against South Africa, turning forth some memorable performances. Kohli scored 38 and 76 in Centurion under difficult circumstances, and he was crucial with a game-winning 46 in the last encounter in Cape Town. Even though both sides shared Test honours and the series ended in a 1-1 draw, Kohli stood out as India's top run scorer with 172 runs.

Sanjay Manjrekar, a former cricket player and current analyst, praised Virat Kohli after India's thrilling seven-wicket victory in Cape Town. He emphasized the substantial difference between Kohli and the next-best batsman in the Indian lineup. Following the latter's remarkable performance in the demanding circumstances of South Africa throughout both Tests of the recently ended series, Sanjay Manjrekar voiced his respect for modern batting great Virat Kohli. He highlighted a significant difference between Kohli and the next-best batsman in India's current lineup, stating that this distinction will persist till Rishabh Pant returns to the squad. Manjrekar discussed his thoughts on ESPNCricinfo. He said:

“Thank God that India have Virat Kohli. He showed on this SA tour, the kind of challenges that batters face that there's a big distance between him and the next best Test batter in India at least until Rishabh Pant is back.”

Also Read: BCCI announces T20I squad for Afghanistan series; Rohit, Kohli return

Team India T20I squad vs Afghanistan

Rohit Sharma (Captain), Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Tilak Varma, Rinku Singh, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Sanju Samson (wk), Shivam Dube, Washington Sundar, Axar Patel, Ravi Bishnoi, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Avesh Khan, Mukesh Kumar