'Ask selectors what their plans are': India legend gives his honest opinion on Virat & Rohit's form

Former India opener Sanjay Manjrekar has finally opened up on Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma's poor form in the ongoing T20 World Cup 2024. Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli have failed to score runs for India in the last three matches that they have played. While Kohli has failed to reach even double-digits, Rohit has scored just 68 runs in 3 innings. 

Sanjay Manjrekar on the poor form of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma

Sanjay Manjrekar has said that if Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma can pull off defining knocks in the semi-final or final, it will not matter what their numbers were in the group stage of the tournament.  

"Ideally, if you have gone for people like Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, then you have gone for experience. You want to take your experienced players in World Cup to deliver when it really matters," Sanjay Manjrekar told PTI in an exclusive interview on Sunday.

“So, I don't mind if certain players are out of form. Coming into the knockouts, if they play a defining innings in a semi-final or the final to win the title, that's the kind of expectation you must have from your senior players.”

"If a youngster comes to the fore, that's a bonus like it happened in 1992 with Pakistan, with Inzamam ul Haq. It's the seniors who have to make the major contribution and that is why I guess selectors go for experience in T20 World Cup or World Cups generally," the former India cricketer added. 

"I think it's a question best asked to the chairman of selectors what their plans are and the two individuals can tell what their plans are and how the selection committee is going to be thinking and I think there's fair bit left in the tournament before they start thinking on those lines," Sanjay Manjrekar said.

Rishabh at No. 3 is a brilliant move 

Manjrekar didn't envisage Rishabh Pant getting promoted to No. 3 but it has turned out to be a master-stroke as the flamboyant left-hander was easily India's best batter on view during the group league stage.

"They (team management) want more and more impact players, at every position down the order and Rishabh Pant, I didn't expect him to be batting at No. 3, and what a brilliant move it has turned out to be, starting from that warm-up game against Bangladesh, when Samson and Rohit Sharma took some time to get used to the surface," he opined.

"Pant has showed his class. He has been India's best batter in this tournament so far, and on a difficult pitch, and that is Rishabh Pant's class. That they gave him the No. 3 slot also ensured that India don't have six right-handers like they had in that 50-over World Cup and the only left-hander India had was Ravindra Jadeja at No. 7."

(With PTI inputs)