“The hero worship of certain players” - Sanjay Manjrekar’s brutal take on India losing 1-3 in BGT 2024-25

Former India batter Sanjay Manjrekar has cited the 'hero worship' of star players as the main reason behind India's recent struggles in Test cricket. After dominating the red-ball format for years, India suffered back-to-back series defeats against New Zealand at home and in Australia by 0-3 and 1-3 margins, respectively.

While several players' poor form contributed to the dismal results, stalwarts Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma's inability to contribute with the bat has arguably hurt the side the most. Both averaged under 16 in the New Zealand series with two half-centuries between them in 12 innings.

The struggles continued in Australia, with Kohli finishing the series with 190 runs an average of under 24 in nine innings and Rohit faring even worse with 31 runs at an average of 6.20 in five innings.

Reflecting on India's downfall in Tests in his column for Hindustan Times, Manjrekar wrote:

"The one foremost reason behind this is the icon culture we have in India and the hero worship of certain players. Be it 2011-12 or now, it’s the same scenario that gets played out -- iconic players featuring prominently doing the opposite of what they did their entire careers, thereby dragging the team down with their diminished performances."

He added:

When India lost 0-8 to England and Australia (2011-12), Tendulkar averaged 35, Sehwag 19.91, and Laxman 21.06. Only Dravid stood out and got runs in England (he averaged 76.83) but in Australia, he too was given a harsh reality check (he averaged 24.25)."

The Australia series loss also eliminated India from the World Test Championship (WTC) final race for the first time in the tournament's three editions.

"If the player does not quit on his own, then Indian cricket has a problem" - Sanjay Manjrekar

Is the end near for Rohit Sharma in Tests? [Source: Getty]

Sanjay Manjrekar believes star players staying past their prime has historically been a problem in Indian cricket. The former batter also blamed the selectors' inability to take brave calls on iconic players as an issue plaguing Indian cricket.

Skipper Rohit Sharma opted out of the final Test against Australia, prompting fans and former players to speculate about his future in the long format. However, the 37-year-old confirmed he isn't yet walking away from Tests.

"If the player does not quit on his own, then Indian cricket has a problem. As a rule, our icons---barring very few---stay around too long well past their prime with their performances dropping to abysmal levels. In their heart, selectors and the administration know that they are essentially conforming to the sentiments of the masses," Manjrekar wrote in the same column.

He added:

"When it comes to the big players, we as a country are just not able to stay rational. Emotions run high and those in positions to take decisions on these players are influenced by this climate. Cricketing logic goes out of the window and then the selectors hope the player leaves on his own so that they don’t look like the villains who brutally ended the career of a great who millions of fans worship. They just fear the backlash."

India have several important white-ball games against England, followed by the 2025 Champions Trophy over the next two months.

Their next Test assignment will be the five-match series in England, starting in June.