Credit: BCCI
With Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli getting retired from Test cricket within a week, the Indian fans are concerned over the future of their team in the longest format. However, former cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar feels that there isn’t any need to panic due to the popularity of the sport in the country. Manjrekar also recalled how there was panic when four of India’s legendary Test batters including the likes of Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman and Sourav Ganguly but India went on to become the number one Test side after a few years.
Sanjay Manjrekar shared a video on his Instagram where he reflected on Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli’s Test retirement. "I know there'll be a few fans concerned. There was a sense of panic when the fab 4 quit all at the same time, but guess what? A couple of years later, India was the number one test team in the world,” Manjrekar said.
"So, as long as I believe in this very strongly, as long as the sport is popular in India and there are enough young players, youth, desperate to play for India, and there are thousands in India, which means anybody who sort of comes through that kind of a grind has to be quality talent,"he further said.
India will continue to be one of the top teams in the world: Sanjay Manjrekar
Speaking further, Sanjya Manjrekar also said that India will continue to be among the top teams in the world despite Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli’s departure from the longest format. He again mentioned the Fab 4 and said how India’s bowling attack became stronger over time.
"So yes, it will take a bit of time, but let's not panic. Remember what happened after Fab 4, the Indian bowling quality improved. The same could happen here as well. You'll discover new stars and new bowlers, and India will continue to be one of the top teams in the world. Then you need some time. Because in overseas conditions, batting is very important and that is where our current fragility lies,” Manjrekar said.
