Former Indian cricketer turned pundit and analyst, Sanjay Manjrekar did not back down from putting questions over the captaincy of Rohit Sharma in the recently concluded 2-match test series in South Africa which might have remained as a 1-1 draw but it was another chance that went begging.
Before the start of the test series at Centurion, the 2023 WTC runners-up were being tipped to finally clinch a test series win at the Rainbow nation in over 30 years. It is known as the Final Frontier for India which remains unbreached as Rohit Sharma’s side will fly back to India with some mere positives.
The 1st test result was negative, in terms of bowling as well as batting but that was necessary to some extent as it wouldn’t have led them to a 7-wicket 2nd test win within 1 and a half days. Mohammed Siraj and Jasprit Bumrah’s 6 wickets in separate innings along with Virat Kohli’s batting prowess in foreign conditions even at the age of 35, are the positives.
Otherwise, Rahul Dravid has major issues to look after, from preparing Yashasvi Jaiswal to play at his best in SENA nations to Shreyas Iyer’s poor and lazy technique as a number 5 batter. Another negative point that has come out from this test series according to Sanjay Manjrekar is Rohit Sharma’s captaincy.
Rohit Sharma, the batter did not get as many runs and he will be disappointed to not capitalize on the starts he got off to. While Rohit Sharma, the captain needs a little bit more clarity in his thoughts and tactics. He scored 60 runs across the 3 innings he played in South Africa but with a home 5-match Test series against England on the horizon, Rohit will aim to get back to his best in the red-ball format.
“Rohit Sharma’s Mistakes Cost India Badly In 1st Test”- Sanjay Manjrekar Opines
While speaking about the captaincy of Rohit Sharma after the 2nd test, Sanjay Manjrekar claimed that his mistakes in the 1st test were the reason why India suffered such a loss – by an innings and 32 runs. Manjrekar also claimed that Rohit Sharma made evident mistakes in the 2nd test as well and cryptically said the 36-year-old is yet to learn from his mistakes in WTC and CWC finals before shedding light on his test batting career.
“In Test cricket, if you lose moments, you lose the game. Rohit made mistakes in both Tests and while it cost us massively in the first game, thankfully Siraj had given allowance for the second Test. Siraj bowling just one over when Markram was scoring and the lead swelled to 60 was a mistake.” – Manjrekar said.
“Only he can tell us how much Test cricket he wants to play. I think if he wants to extend his Test career, there will be no competition. Virat Kohli I feel will play as long as possible and thankfully for us. This tour in tough conditions just the difference between him and the next best Test batter India has at least until Rishabh Pant is back.” – Manjrekar concluded.