“Can the committee actually take a tough decision?” - Sanjay Manjrekar makes massive statement on Rohit Sharma’s future post BGT 2024-25

Former India batter Sanjay Manjrekar has questioned the selectors and team management's ability to make a bold call regarding skipper Rohit Sharma's future in the Test arena. Despite his outstanding overall record for India, Rohit's Test returns have massively dwindled over the past few months.

The 37-year-old endured a dismal series in Australia, finishing with 31 runs at an average of 6.20 in five outings. Rohit has averaged under 11 in his last 15 innings with a lone half-century.

While the skipper opted out of the final Test against Australia in Sydney, he confirmed in an interview during the match that he planned to continue playing the red-ball format.

In his column for Hindustan Times, Manjrekar weighed in on Rohit's future in Tests, writing:

"Now comes the tough part---can the committee actually take a tough decision in sync with their observations? For Mr Ajit Agarkar to take a pure cricketing decision no matter who the player is, we have to make his job easier. Us as former cricketers, the media, the administrators, and the fans who are the most influential force, must put Indian cricket ahead of an Indian great."

He added:

"Former cricketers are appointed as selectors so that they can use their acumen and instinct to make a judgement, say on Rohit Sharma at this stage of his career. Does Sharma still have the potential to make up for all his recent failures? I would like to think that the current selection committee has a pretty good idea about this."

Besides the sub-par batting numbers, Rohit's captaincy has also been worrisome, with India losing five out of their last six Tests under him.

"They drop him before he becomes a huge liability" - Sanjay Manjrekar lauds Cricket Australia

Manjrekar praised Australia's ability to select players on form over reputation [Credit: Getty]

In the same column, Sanjay Manjrekar praised Australian cricket for recognizing when to drop senior players out of form instead of persisting with them.

India has lost six out of their last eight Tests, including consecutive series defeats to New Zealand (home) and Australia (away).

"Australia does not wait for a player to retire; they drop him before he becomes a huge liability. And that is why Australia never lose 0-8 in eight Tests when it goes through its periodic slump," Manjrekar wrote.

The recent results meant the Aussies qualified for a second consecutive World Test Championship (WTC) final, while India stood eliminated for the first time in tournament history.