“To know what unfolded in that series against England” - Sanjay Manjrekar’s advice for Virat Kohli & Rohit Sharma before IND vs BAN 2025 CT match

Former Indian batter Sanjay Manjrekar has advised batting stalwarts Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli to take a backseat and enjoy the luxury of having several other batters in their prime during the 2025 Champions Trophy. Team India are among the firm favorites to win the eight-team tournament, with their opening encounter set to be played against Bangladesh in Dubai on February 20.

Manjrekar felt the recent ODI series at home against England was evidence of the legendary duo not having to carry the burden of winning matches for India. The Men in Blue dominated England by completing a 3-0 whitewash, with Shubman Gill and Shreyas Iyer being the leaders with the bat.

While the former was the Player of the Series with 259 runs, the latter was the second-leading run-scorer across the three matches with 181 runs.

Talking about Rohit and Kohli's roles in ODIs on the eve of India's 2025 Champions Trophy opener against Bangladesh, Manjrekar told ESPN Cricinfo [0:19]:

"The expectations from fans would be about them getting big hundreds and leading India to another win. But the more realistic expectation and what would be sensible is to also know what unfolded in that series against England where Shreyas Iyer and Shubman Gill looked a class apart. And you could see evidence of players in their prime - Shreyas Iyer and Shubman Gill vs two stalwarts not quite at their prime."

He added:

"At this stage, it makes lot of sense for Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli to be facilitators rather than the flag-bearers, leading from the front. They must realize, now, at this stage, they mustn't take the burden that the fortunes of the team depend on how they play because there are enough good players down the order. That is a luxury they should look to enjoy rather than feel the burden of pressure and expectation as to they are the ones who have to contribute."

Kohli and Rohit are two of India's greatest ODI batters, with almost 25,000 runs and 82 centuries between them. The duo played massive roles in India's 2013 Champions Trophy title run.

Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma boast impressive numbers in the Champions Trophy

The duo helped India reach two consecutive Champions Trophy finals in 2013 and 2017 [Credit: Getty]

Much like their overall ODI numbers, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma boast impressive records in the Champions Trophy. The former has scored 529 runs in the tournament at a stunning average of over 88 and a strike rate of 92.32 with five half-centuries in 13 outings.

Meanwhile, Rohit saw his career transform after opening the batting in the 2013 Champions Trophy. He has scored 481 runs in the Champions Trophy at an average of 53.44 and a strike rate of 82.50, with a century and four half-centuries in 10 matches.

The pair will be key to India's chances of winning a third Champions Trophy title in the 2025 edition.