'India have moved on:' Sanjay Manjrekar lauds Indian team for shedding dependency on Rohit and Virat
Former India cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar has highlighted that the Men in Blue haven't totally overdependent on contributions from star batters Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli at the T20 World Cup 2024, which is taking place in the USA and West Indies. He feels that the rest of the players are also taking equal responsibility for themselves in the ongoing marquee event and contributing to the team's success in the showpiece event, which puts them in a dominant position.
Meanwhile, captain Rohit Sharma showed optimism with a fifty against Ireland in their opening match of the group stage, yet he didn't score much against Pakistan and the USA in the following matches. On the other hand, former India skipper Kohli continues to struggle and did not manage to reach double-digits in three games out of the five matches he has played so far.
In the same vein, former batting legend Sanjay Manjrekar accepted that Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli are definitely a big part of the team and for the cricket fans as well. The well-renowed cricket commentator stated that Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli should give the thrilling start at the top of the order if they wanted to continue their unbeaten streak in the showpiece event.
"Rohit and Virat are still obvious icons in this team and for its fans, but India, as we have seen in this WC, have moved on. It is now a team of 11, not just one or two. Come the semis, when the challenge gets stiffer and India play with the realisation that they will be knocked out of the tournament if they lose, Rohit and Virat must continue to embrace this attitude," Sanjay Manjrekar said.
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Rohit and Virat took it upon themselves to be the ones to lead India’s fight against a strong England: Sanjay Manjrekar
The 58-year-old cricketer recalls that things went wrong for India when skipper Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli tried to lead their innings in the 2022 T20 World Cup semifinal showdown against England at Adelaide. India's swashbuckling batter Virat Kohli struck 50 runs off 40 balls, while Rohit Sharma scored 28 runs off 27 balls at Adelaide. The Men in Blue were just able to post 168/6 in the given 20 overs. However, Jos Buttler and Alex Hales chased down the total with 24 balls to spare and 10 wickets remaining.
"The last thing India want is a repeat of the semis of the last T20 WC when both Rohit and Virat took it upon themselves to be the ones to lead India’s fight against a strong England side, which backfired badly," he added further.
Meanwhile, the Men in Blue are undefeated in the 2024 T20 World Cup so far, and they will be looking to win the upcoming clash against Australia to make it to the semi-finals of the event. They defeated Ireland, Pakistan, and the United States of America (USA) convincingly in the group stage game before beating Afghanistan and Bangladesh decisively in the Super Eight fixtures.
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