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Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma not playing Duleep Trophy was not good for Indian cricket: Sanjay Manjrekar

Former India batter Sanjay Manjrekar believes that the decision to not pick Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma for the Duleep Trophy was not a good one. Manjrekar reckons that had the star duo played some red-ball cricket heading into the first Test against Bangladesh, things could have been different for them.

India got the better of Bangladesh by 280 runs in the first Test played at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. However, both skipper Rohit and senior batter Kohli registered poor returns with the bat. The former was dismissed for six and five, while the latter made six and 17.

While discussing the Indian duo's performance in a video on ESPNcricinfo, Manjrekar opined that a trick was missed due to the decision to not pick Rohit and Kohli for the Duleep Trophy. He commented:

"I'm not worried, but I'm sure somebody made a note of the fact that they would have been better off had they played some red-ball cricket. There was the option of picking them in the Duleep Trophy. So one has to be careful about treating certain players differently and do what's best for Indian cricket and for the player.
"Virat and Rohit not playing (Duleep Trophy) was not good for Indian cricket, nor was it good for the two players. Had they played the Duleep Trophy and had some time in the red-ball cricket, things would have been different," the former India batter went on to add.

While Manjrekar questioned the preferential treatment given to some players in Indian cricket based on their stature, the 59-year-old backed both Kohli and Rohit to get back among the runs.

"They have the class and experience to make a comeback later in the series, and I don't see them, for that reason, not being in form," he said.

Rohit and Kohli will be in action when India takes on Bangladesh in the second Test, starting at Green Park in Kanpur from Friday, September 27.


A brief look at Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli's performance in the ongoing WTC cycle

Looking at the performances of Rohit and Kohli in the ongoing World Test Championship (WTC) cycle, the former has smashed 711 runs in 18 innings, averaging 41.82, with three hundreds and as many half-centuries. As for Kohli, he has 392 runs to his name in eight innings at an average of 49, with one hundred and two fifties.

India are currently on top of the 2023-25 WTC points table and looks set to complete a hat-trick of appearances in the final. They have played 10 games, winning seven and losing two, while one match ended in a draw.

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