'Seniors have to make major contribution' - Sanjay Manjrekar sends strong message to Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma ahead of T20 WC Super 8s

Former India cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar opened up about the poor form of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma in the ongoing T20 World Cup 2024. He said that the form of certain players doesn't bother him because they will step up for the team in big games. 

India National Cricket Team have qualified for the Super 8 stage of the ICC T20 World 2024. The Rohit Sharma-led side has been decent with the ball and bat as they ended the group stage at the top of the table with 3 wins out of their 4 matches with the last match being abandoned. 

It was the biggest positive for the team that they won the games without much contribution from the senior duo of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. Both the opening batters have failed to get going in the tournament as India have failed to get good starts. 

India captain Rohit Sharma started the tournament on high as he slammed a fighting half-century against Ireland but after that things didn't go his way. He bagged low scores in the next two games against Pakistan and the United States of America at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in New York. 

On the other hand, Virat Kohli, who has been opening the batting in the ongoing T20 World Cup 2024, has managed just 5 runs in the three games. The batter scored 1 run against Ireland, 4 against Pakistan, and a golden duck against the United States of America (USA). 

Going into the Super 8 stage of the tournament, the form of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli will be a cause of concern for the team. But as per Sanjay Manjrekar isn't bothered by that as he believes that their experience will be handy for the team in the World Cup. 

Sanjay Manjrekar stated that if Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma end up playing defining knocks in knockout then they will be living up to the expectations. Speaking to PTI, he explained: 

"Ideally if you have gone for people like Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, then you have gone for experience. You want to take your experienced players in the World Cup to deliver when it really matters. 

"So I don't mind if certain players are out of form, coming into the semi-finals and finals, if they play a defining innings in a semi-final or knock-out games or in the finals to win the title, that's the kind of expectation you must have from your senior players. 

It's the seniors who have to make the major contribution - Sanjay Manjrekar 

Sanjay Manjrekar further added that if a youngster comes to the party, it will be a big plus for the team but the major contributions have to come from the seniors. He added: 

"If a youngster comes to the fore, that's a bonus like it happened in 1992 with Pakistan with Inzamam-ul-Haq. It's the seniors who have to make the major contribution and that is why I guess selectors go for experience in the T20 World Cup," he concluded.

VIDEO | Here's what Former India cricketer and commentator Sanjay Manjrekar said when asked about possibility of an all-format India captain.

"Even if Rohit Sharma has captained India across three formats in the main marquee events, India have had different captains in T20Is and… pic.twitter.com/uIPtGfVjli

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