‘Special treatment because of status’- Sanjay Manjrekar slams BCCI for giving preferential treatment to Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli

Former Indian batter turned commentator isn’t happy with the Board of Control for Cricket in India. The reason behind this unhappiness stems from the fact that Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli were given time off and excluded from the Duleep Trophy 2024. India’s batting stalwarts failed to get going during the 1st Test in Chennai. 

During his chat, with ESPNCRICINFO, the former Indian star said, “But something that one must make a quiet note of, and that has been a problem with Indian cricket for a long time now, is that certain players get picked out for special treatment because of their status, which eventually hurts that player more than anyone else.”

India’s team management had rested some of the top stars for the Duleep Trophy 2024 season. Apart from Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, even R. Ashwin and Jasprit Bumrah were rested. Ravindra Jadeja sought some time off due to personal issues while Mohammed Siraj had to pull out due to illness. 

Sanjay Manjrekar hopes veteran Indian duo get back to scoring runs

During his chat with ESPNCRICINFO, Manjrekar also said, “I'm not worried, but I'm sure somebody made a note of the fact that they would have been better off had they played some red-ball cricket. There was the option of picking them in the Duleep Trophy. So one has to be careful about treating certain players differently and do what's best for Indian cricket and for the player.”

The former Indian batter also felt that both Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli could have done well with some match practice. The two star batter’s not playing Duleep Trophy did certainly play a role in their failure to score runs. Manjrekar though backs the duo to find their form again. 

“Virat and Rohit not playing (Duleep Trophy) was not good for Indian cricket, nor was it good for the two players. Had they played the Duleep Trophy and had some time in the red-ball cricket, things would have been different. But they have the class and experience to make a comeback later in the series, and I don't see them, for that reason, not being in form,” said the former Indian batter. 

The former Mumbai skipper also wanted the team to bring back Kuldeep Yadav. “I feel Kuldeep Yadav should not be dropped so easily. I believe that even if it was not a turner, India would have benefited from playing Kuldeep Yadav in Chennai because the seamers will get help for just one or one-and-a-half days on an Indian pitch. If Bumrah wants a rest, give him. Try and get Kuldeep Yadav back," said Manjrekar to ESPNCRICINFO. 

“Even if it's a green top and the sun is out, they should keep in mind that the green top will be just for the first few hours, and Siraj and Bumrah are enough for that. When you have three proven spinners, you should play all of them,” said India’s former batter.