‘His days as Test opener were over’ – Sanjay Manjrekar’s blunt take on Rohit Sharma

Rohit Sharma and Sanjay Manjrekar. (Photo Source: Getty Images)

Sanjay Manjrekar opined that Rohit Sharma‘s time as a Test opener was over. The latter announced his retirement from the longest format on Wednesday, May 7, via an Instagram post.

Rohit had a fairly decent Test career, finishing with 4301 runs from 67 Tests at an average of 40.58. As an opener, he scored 2697 runs from 38 Tests at an average of 42.80. He also captained India in 24 Tests, guiding the Asian giants to 12 wins.

However, Rohit’s recent form in Test cricket before announcing his retirement was abysmal. Manjrekar highlighted his struggles in recent times through a tweet on his official ‘X’ handle.

“164 in his last 15 innings. Out of which 10 were at home v Bangladesh & NZ. Average 10.9. With his current fitness levels…Rohit Sharma’s days as Test opener were over. So…” Manjrekar wrote.

Fans would have wanted Rohit to continue at least till the upcoming five-match Test series against England in the United Kingdom. This series marks the start of a new World Test Championship (WTC) cycle. Rohit led India to the finals of the WTC for the 2021-2023 cycle, where they lost to Australia. This time, India failed to progress to the final.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) will conduct a meeting in the coming days to pick the squad for the Test tour of England. Reports suggest that Shubman Gill could be appointed as Rohit’s successor. Meanwhile, KL Rahul could continue as an opener alongside Yashasvi Jaiswal. Abhimanyu Easwaran could be the backup opener. The first Test begins on June 20 and it will be played at Headingley, Leeds.

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