Former Indian cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar disagreed with skipper Rohit Sharma‘s statement about Virat Kohli‘s form in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) 2024-25 series. Sanjay Manjrekar stated that Rohit Sharma had to make a public statement to avoid adding pressure on Virat Kohli.
Virat Kohli’s struggle against deliveries outside the off-stump has been a key issue. It has been evident in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy series. Apart from his century in the second innings of the Perth Test match, Kohli has been dismissed four times in the series, all by catches behind the stumps.
Modern-Day Greats Will Figure Out Their Way or Path – Rohit Sharma
The 36-year-old batter has scored 126 runs in five innings at an average of 31.50. With the series at stake, Kohli will aim to recover his form in the upcoming match at the MCG. When asked about Kohli’s struggles, Rohit Sharma expressed confidence that Kohli would find a way to address the issue.
“You only said he is a modern-day great. Modern-day greats will figure out their way or the path (to overcome issues),” Rohit told reporters.
That’s a Flawed Statement – Sanjay Manjrekar
Sanjay Manjrekar disagreed with Rohit Sharma’s statement regarding Virat Kohli’s form, calling it a “flawed statement.” Manjrekar said that the captain must avoid putting additional pressure on the player, but cricketers often think differently behind the scenes.
“Actually, that’s a flawed statement. And he has to say it. Let’s understand a captain cannot be going out there and putting further pressure on the batter. So he has said that thing that he has to say in a press conference. But obviously, from deep within, cricketers think differently. I was part of that system as well. We couldn’t actually speak our minds,” Manjrekar told ESPNCricinfo.
I’m No More Focusing on Virat Kohli’s Problem – Sanjay Manjrekar
Sanjay Manjrekar said that modern-day greats like Virat Kohli would not figure out their issues on their own. He said that if that were true, Kohli would have already resolved his problems. Manjrekar emphasized that the batting coach should address these technical issues.
“But that’s not true where a modern-day great will find his own way out. If that were the case, he would have found his way out. And that is why I’m no more focusing on Virat Kohli’s problem but more on the guy who’s supposed to solve those problems. And that’s the batting coach,” Manjrekar added.
“And if he can’t address these chronic problems that some of our batters have had, and these are mostly technical battles temperamentally, or if there is a mental issue, that’s a slightly more difficult thing to resolve, but technical issues, if he has no input or if he can’t make a difference, you’ve got to start looking at the role of the batting coach.
“So it is, I think, pretty obvious for everyone that Virat Kohli needs outside help because he on his own has not been able to solve that technical problem of his,” he concluded.
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