Virat Kohli not an all-time great? Batter's BGT failures invite brutal criticism from Ex-India batter

Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli are going through one of the worst phases in their career. Both the batters are struggling for runs in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy which has seen a rise in criticism from all the corners of the cricketing world.

Former India cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar has joined this list and blasted both batters for their poor run of form. Manjrekar called Rohit's poor shot in the second innings of the Melbourne Test a "mistake" and even doubted Kohli's all-time greatness.

Also read: “Take harsh decisions”: Rohit Sharma told to drop himself and Virat Kohli for Sydney Test

Sanjay Manjrekar makes a bold claim on Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli

During a discussion on ESPNCricinfo, Sanjay Manjrekar slammed the shot selection of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli in Melbourne. He termed Rohit's shot as inexcusable and also feels that Kohli's mode of getting dismissed is getting way too similar.

"Rohit Sharma, the shot that he played after playing so well, I don't think there's an excuse for that. That has to be looked at as a mistake. That Virat Kohli keeps getting out in this fashion makes you doubt his all-time greatness because it is just becoming a bit too much," Manjrekar said.

Rohit registered scores of 3 and 9 across both the innings of Melbourne Test. He was out while trying to play aggressive shots in both innings. Meanwhile, Kohli scored 36 and 5 in the Melbourne Test. He looked solid in the first innings but couldn't carry on to get a big score.

Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli's numbers in BGT 2024-25

Both Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli are having a disappointing series with the bat and it has affected India's performance as well. Rohit has scored just 31 runs in five innings at a miserable average of 6.20.

On the other hand, Kohli has better numbers but has been disappointing overall. The 36-year-old has collected 167 runs in four Tests at an average of just 27.83. Apart from his hundred in Perth and 36 in Melbourne, he has looked woefully out of form.

Sanjay Manjrekar on Rishabh Pant's wicket

Sanjay Manjrekar also shed light on Rishabh Pant's dismissal in the second innings of the Melbourne Test. He predicted why the wicketkeeper-batter attempted a big shot after playing solidly till that point.

"As for (Rishabh) Pant, I just wonder, in that last session, because India had so many wickets in hand, whether there was some talk. In the press conference, Rohit Sharma alluded to it that," Manjrekar noted.

"With wickets in hand, they thought they could make one attempt with Pant out there and see if things happen - some miraculous recovery could happen. If that wasn't the case, they could play out for a draw," the former India batter added.

Rishabh Pant played in an unusual way and looked to play for a draw. He looked solid and batted excellently in the second session of Day 5 alongside Yashasvi Jaiswal. However, he tried to play a big shot off a half-tracker from Travis Head and perished in the process. He was dismissed for a 104-ball-30 and opened the floodgates for Australia.