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Sanjay Manjrekar (L), Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma (Source: X)
Former India cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar has criticised the exclusion of Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Jasprit Bumrah from the 2024 Duleep Trophy. Ahead of the squad announcement, there were reports that several national superstars will also be participating in the tournament.
However, the trio of Rohit, Kohli and Bumrah was not named in any of the four teams. Assuming that they have been given a break, Manjrekar decided to take a dig at the three pillars of Indian cricket by presenting the statistics of the matches they have played in the last five years.
“India has played 249 international matches in the last 5 years. Rohit has played only 59% of those. Virat 61 % & Bumrah 34%. I see them as well rested India players. Could have been selected for the Duleep trophy,” Manjrekar wrote on X.
India has played 249 international matches in the last 5 years. Rohit has played only 59% of those. Virat 61 % & Bumrah 34%. I see them as well rested India players. Could have been selected for the Duleep trophy.
— Sanjay Manjrekar (@sanjaymanjrekar) August 28, 2024
The Duleep Trophy will mark the start of India's domestic red ball season. The tournament would have been a preparation for the star players ahead of the upcoming Bangladesh series and the Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia.
Also Check: WATCH: KL Rahul seen batting in the nets to prepare himself for Duleep Trophy 2024
Earlier, legendary Sunil Gavaskar had also slammed Rohit and Kohli for skipping the tournament. Meanwhile, Jay Shah, who was recently elected as the new ICC chairman, took a different view and said that the management does not want them to suffer injuries while playing domestic cricket.
“It doesn’t make sense to add to Virat and Rohit’s load by asking them to play domestic cricket. They run the risk of getting injured,” Shah had told The Times of India.
Siraj, Umran Malik and Jadeja released
Meanwhile, on Tuesday, it was confirmed that fast bowlers Mohammad Siraj and Umran Malik have been released from their respective squads due to illness. Veteran all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja was also ruled out for an unspecified reason.
While Navdeep Saini replaces Siraj in the India B squad, Madhya Pradesh pacer Gaurav Yadav comes in for Malik in the India C squad. No replacements were named for Jadeja. The Duleep Trophy is set to commence on September 5.