Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma not playing Duleep Trophy was not good for Indian cricket: Sanjay Manjrekar

Former Indian batter Sanjay Manjrekar reckons Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma not playing Duleep Trophy was not good for Indian cricket. While Rohit returned with scores of 6 and 5, Kohli registered scores of 6 and 17 in the opening Test match at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai.

Kohli decided not to go for the review despite getting an edge before the ball struck his front pad against Mehidy Hasan Miraz in the second essay. India registered a huge win of 280 runs to take a 1-0 lead in the series but Kohli and Indian skipper Rohit Sharma could not deliver with the bat.

The veteran duo were not picked for the Duleep trophy by the Ajit Agarkar-led selection panel. While Rohit played in the Duleep trophy in 2016 for Mumbai, Kohli last played for Delhi in 2012 in the domestic circuit.

Sanjay Manjrekar said on ESPN Cricinfo, “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.”

Manjrekar reckons things would have been different had Rohit and Kohli played in the Duleep trophy.

“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,” the former India batter went on to add.

However, the renowned commentator backed the talismanic duo to return back to form in the second Test against the Tigers.

“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,” he said.

The second Test match between India and Bangladesh will be played at Green Park, Kanpur from September 27.