India’s shocking series defeat against New Zealand, their first home whitewash in two decades, has unleashed a wave of criticism from fans and cricket experts. Among the vocal critics is former Indian cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar, who took to social media to question the BCCI’s decision to rest veterans Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma from domestic matches, despite the ongoing scrutiny over India’s performance.
Manjrekar questioned whether the stature of Kohli and Rohit was being placed above BCCI’s rules, as the selectors chose to omit them from playing in the Duleep Trophy, a critical tournament for maintaining form. “The big learning for the selectors from this home season is that you don’t rest already well-rested players because of their stature,” Manjrekar wrote. “Both Rohit and Virat would only have benefited from playing the Duleep Trophy at the start of the season.”
Rohit Sharma and Co. Face Intense Backlash
India’s unexpected losses have sparked concern ahead of the upcoming 2024-2025 Border-Gavaskar Trophy series. India, expected to recover after their opening defeat in Bengaluru, struggled throughout the series. Mitchell Santner and Ajaz Patel exposed India’s vulnerabilities on spin-friendly pitches in Pune and Mumbai, with Patel single-handedly dismantling India’s lineup at Wankhede with an 11-wicket haul.
As India aims to qualify for the World Test Championship Final, they now face a daunting task of winning four out of their remaining five matches.