In a recent interview, cricketer-turned-commentator and pundit Sanjay Manjrekar criticized the younger generation of Indian batsmen for not having enough talent and not doing enough to become the next big thing in Test cricket before Thank God that the Indian team still has someone like Virat. Kohli.
Manjrekar’s comments came in light of India’s 1-1 Freedom Trophy Test series draw in South Africa that saw the visitors claim a maiden victory at Newlands in the second Test by 7 wickets. Apart from Virat Kohli, no other batsman could make any impact, with the other exception being KL Rahul who scored a century in the first Test.
Virat Kohli scored 172 runs in 4 innings in the 2 Tests at Rainbow Nation, which also included a half-century in the 2nd innings at Centurion. Although India had lost that match by an innings and 32 runs, Kohli ended up as the most dependent batsman in those conditions against a ruthless bowling line-up like South Africa had done.
Kohli is the second most successful batsman in South Africa after Sachin Tendulkar, who has more than 1000 runs there. With the Test team transition firmly in place, the Indian management is yet to find a batsman who can be trusted in SENA conditions.
Players like Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill and Shreyas Iyer gave below-average performances in the Test series as it was their first experience playing for Rainbow Nation. But Sanjay Manjrekar highlighted that it will take a long time for India to find a suitable replacement for Virat Kohli until such time as batsman Rishabh Pant returns.
“Virat Kohli will definitely play (Test cricket) for as long as possible and thank God for India, we have a Virat Kohli. “On this trip he showed the kind of challenges batsmen face – there is a big gap between him and the next best Test batsman in India, at least until Rishabh Pant returns.” – said Sanjay Manjrekar.
After Virat Kohli’s recognition, Sanjay Manjrekar is also looking for a suitable replacement for Rohit Sharma
After praising Virat Kohli and his untouchability in the Indian team, Sanjay Manjrekar praised Indian captain Rohit Sharma and his efficiency in the order and according to him, there is no batsman at the moment who can replace Rohit Sharma.
Manjrekar praised both Kohli and Rohit for being the last of the traditional old-school Test batsmen before adding that only the latter knows when he will hang up his boots.
“Rohit Sharma will be the person who will let us know with his action how much he wants to play Test cricket. These are still old school hitters. All the newcomers will have to adapt to Test cricket. If Rohit Sharma wants to extend his Test career, it is in his hands, there is no competition.” – Manjrekar concluded.