“Hold the words of MS Dhoni” – Former India cricketer on Rohit Sharma’s struggles with the bat in Test series against England
Former India cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar has shared some advice for current skipper Rohit Sharma regarding his lean phase with the bat in the ongoing Test series against England. The 58-year-old wants the star opener to remain invested in his batting and focus on the process, instead of getting animated at every dismissal.
Manjrekar’s comments came in response to Rohit returning with scores of 24,39, 14, and 13 in the first two Tests against England. The right-hander had also failed to deliver with the bat in South Africa, registering scores of five, duck, 39, and 16* in the two Tests, which ended in a 1-1 draw.
On Thursday (February 8), Manjrekar told ESPNCricinfo:
“I just wonder whether Rohit Sharma is getting too caught up in trying to make an impact as a leader. It’s got to be Rohit Sharma the batter first and then the captain because when you’re captain, most things are beyond your control."
He then drew a parallel with former Indian captain MS Dhoni, who was known for sticking to the process at all times.
"Try and do the right things and hold the words of MS Dhoni," Manjrekar said. "You do the process and wait for things to happen, but batting is something that’s within his control very much.”
“We want Rohit Sharma getting runs” – Sanjay Manjrekar wants India captain to return to form in remaining three Tests against England
Sanjay Manjrekar suggested that Rohit Sharma take inspiration from his Test centuries in England and India (vs Australia) over the last two years to get back to his best in the remaining three games against the English team.
The cricketer-turned-commentator said:
“If Rohit Sharma becomes the Rohit Sharma for a couple of years back, especially the one that we saw in England in that full series would be great. The Rohit Sharma that we saw in the first Test match in the home series against Australia."
Manjrekar added:
"He’s got to go back to where he looked like a batter who looked supreme in Test matches. We want Rohit Sharma getting runs.”
Rohit had scored 368 runs in four Tests at an average of 52.57 in England back in 2021. The 36-year-old had also scored 242 runs in four Tests at an average of 40.33 against Australia during the 2023 Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
He will lead India in the third Test at the Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Rajkot from February 15 with the series tied at 1-1.