Former India cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar criticized the BCCI for not including Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma in the Duleep Trophy. He said it was a bad decision and believes that if these two-star players had played in the domestic tournament before the first Test against Bangladesh, their performance in Chennai could have been better.
Despite India’s convincing 280-run victory in the first Test against Bangladesh, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma struggled with the bat. Kohli could only score 6 and 17 in his two innings, while Sharma also fell short, managing identical scores of 6 and 17.
While having a conversation with ESPNcricinfo, Manjrekar said, “I am not worried, but the two would have been better off had they got practice with the red ball in Duleep Trophy 2024. One has to be careful about treating some players differently and what is good for Indian cricket and the players.”
“Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma not playing in the Duleep Trophy was not good for Indian cricket and them as well. Had they been part of the tournament, things would have panned out differently in Chennai,” he added.
Manjrekar criticized the preferential treatment given to Virat and Rohit, but he supported them and believes they will perform well in the upcoming matches.
“They have the class and will score runs in the upcoming games. I don’t see them out of form for a long time.”
