Sanjay Manjrekar questions Rohit Sharma’s ‘mysterious’ exclusion from Sydney Test, says ’Rohit is not an all-time great’

Former India cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar took a dig at the Indian management by keeping Rohit Sharma’s exclusion from the fifth and final Test against Australia in Sydney a ‘secret’. The exclusion of Rohit from the Indian playing XI was already on the cards after the Indian captain wasn’t seen in full flow during the practice session on the eve of the final Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) 2024-25 Test.

Expectedly, Jasprit Bumrah came out for India during the coin toss. “Our captain has shown leadership by opting to rest in this game. That shows there’s a lot of unity in this team. There’s no selfishness,” said Bumrah on his own during the toss.

Usually, the presenter who conducts the coin toss, asks about any player’s absence from the team. Former India cricketer, Ravi Shastri, who was conducting the toss, didn’t even spell Rohit’s name in this case.

Manjrekar, who is on commentating duties, was amused to see why Shastri not even utter a word on Rohit, stating he failed to understand the ‘cloak and dagger’ game.

“Very mysterious, why Ravi Shastri didn’t ask Jasprit Bumrah about Rohit Sharma at the toss,” Manjrekar said live on-air. He went on to state that fans have all the right to know about Rohit omission and even termed tagged the Indian captain as ‘not all-time great’.

“Rohit is well rested. The issue I have with Indian cricket culture, the secretive operation. Rohit is not an all-time great to keep his exclusion mysterious. I can understand if it’s Virat Kohli,” he added.

“But Rohit has played 60-odd Tests with one overseas century and an average of just 40. I don’t get why it should be so mysterious,” said Manjrekar.

He even tweeted about the same. “So typical of Rohit Sharma,” Manjrekar posted on X. “Doing the right thing, doing what’s right for the team. But could not understand the ‘cloak & dagger’ around the issue. Wasn’t even talked about at the toss,” the post further read.

Rohit Sharma Test stats in 2024

The year 2024 turned out to be the least productive year for Rohit in Test cricket as he collected 619 runs in 26 innings across 14 matches averaging 24.76. Having played his 67th five-day game in Melbourne, Rohit is also being expected to call time on his Test career soon.

Rohit’s exclusion from the Sydney Test was on cards after his training on the eve of the game. The speculation over his future in the longest format also gained momentum after India lost the fourth Test in Melbourne to trail the five-match series 1-2.