‘Rohit Sharma Will Not Be There In The First Test Against Australia In Perth’: Sanjay Manjrekar

Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, the two pillars of India’s batting in modern-day cricket, have reached the twilight of their illustrious careers and dare we say, it is now showing in their performances.

Never have Rohit and Kohli been so out of touch before entering a big series like the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Never have India gone to Australia on the back of a 0-3 whitewash at home. Former India batter Sanjay Manjrekar, however, feels Rohit and Kohli will be at “home” in Australia.

“Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma will be thinking ‘it’s good. we are going to play in a home away from home’. They were struggling a lot on turning pitches. Facing pace and bounce is not a problem for Rohit Sharma. If you have seen Virat Kohli in South Africa the last time India toured there, he was looking like India’s best player. For him, there will be a sigh of relief. It’s a home away from home for them,” Manjrekar told Star Sports.

However, Rohit’s availability for the series opener in Perth is a big question mark. The Indian captain is still in India, and he will only be certain about his departure to Australia after the birth of his second child.

“Rohit Sharma will not be there in the first. For him, it will be a bit of a break (from scrutiny). Because of his absence, the team will be a bit more lighter,” Manjrekar said.

Can Kohli turn the tables?

Virat Kohli has appeared in 118 Test matches and 201 innings after making his debut in the long format in 2011 against West Indies. The 36-year-old scored 9040 runs at a strike rate of 55.76 and an average of 47.83 in the long format.

The top India batter has faced Australia in 25 matches in Tests and scored 2042 runs at a strike rate of 52.41. His best score against the Aussies was 186.

Manjrekar said that Kohli knows what the Aussies are going to plan for him.

“Virat knows exactly what’s going to be planned. They’ll obviously start with that line outside the off-stump and gauge what his mood is. Generally these days he looks to leave balls outside the off-stump and if they have anything that’s pitched right up, he’ll look to drive,” Manjrekar said.

He added that the Australian bowlers will be attacking Kohli’s body because the Indian batter loves to get forward.

“Nowadays, they are also trying to cramp him for room and attack his body because he loves to get forward so much. So that is something New Zealand tried, which is very smart. And then if he is so focused outside off, that typical one of landing a ball on middle stump which Josh Hazlewood would try. So all those methods will be tried by the Australians and Virat Kohli is aware of that,” he added.