Cricketer-turned-expert Sanjay Manjrekar has triggered a debate among Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma fans. For the unversed, both these batters announced Test retirements in the month of May, making fans emotional. While Kohli was a far more established Test batter, scoring over 9000 runs, the same cannot be said about Rohit, who ended up scoring 4301 Test runs in 67 Test matches. Manjrekar has urged fans to not club these two players in the same bracket, with regard to their Test careers.
Kohli, who also led India in 60 Test matches, is regarded as India's best Test captain, with a winning percentage of over 56. Under Kohli's leadership, India won every home series and was also extremely competitive away from home. Kohli also scored 30 Test centuries, which is only third behind for Indian batters behind Sachin Tendulkar, Sunil Gavaskar and Rahul Dravid. On the other hand, Rohit scored just 12 Test centuries, and among that, only one of them came in SENA countries.
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Virat Kohli has scored Test centuries in every SENA country, making him one of the best Test batters to emerge from India. Meanwhile, fans keep comparing Kohli and Rohit Sharma in the same bracket, Manjrekar has requested not to compare these two in Tests.
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"Right recently, Shubman Gill made a statement, India's new Test captain, about how he is now going to feel the pressure of the absence of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli in the England season, the Test series there. And it stirred up the bee in my bonnet, which has been there for a while. It's not so much about the statement but the fact that Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli tend to get clubbed together.
"We even have a term for them, RoKo. I can understand it in white-ball cricket; there's some comparison, and they're comparable players. Although there's an argument there as well, but that's for a later time. When it comes to red-ball cricket, there's absolutely no comparison between the two. And I will never ever put them in the same bracket. Just to give you some numbers, so you don't have to take my word for it," the former said in a video shared on Instagram.
Sanjay Manjrekar lavishes huge praise on Virat Kohli, says he is in a league of his own
Manjrekar further stated that Kohli's Test record, especially in SENA Countries, is second to none. The veteran has scored 12 out of his 30 Test centuries in SENA conditions. Manjrekar also said that had Rohit played England series, his average would have gone below 40.
"When it comes to SENA countries, the true test of a batter, Virat Kohli has got 12 hundred. 30 Test 100s as well. Rohit Sharma in SENA countries, just the one against England at Oval 2021. He's played over 100 innings, just one hundred in SENA countries. And the average now is 40. And I dare say, had he continued playing or had he gone to England, that average would have dropped in the 30s.
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"I can't be absolutely sure, but that would be my educated guess. So, when it comes to Test cricket, please, red-ball cricket, Virat Kohli is in a different league when you compare him with Rohit Sharma. This comparison in red-ball cricket between Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli and putting them in the same bracket, I say, Roko, stop that," he added.
