New Delhi, Sep 9 Former India cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar does not include Rohit Sharma in the list of India's all-time batting greats, citing that the opener is an excellent batter in limited-overs cricket, but the red-ball format has more weightage when we talk about 'All Time Indian Batting Great'.
Rohit, who led India to the Champions Trophy glory earlier this year, announced his retirement from Test cricket in May ahead of the England tour. The 38-year-old had earlier retired from T20I cricket following the T20 World Cup triumph in Barbados last year.
"Rohit Sharma does not fit in All Time Indian Batting Great list because we're talking about legends like Gavaskar (Sunil), Tendulkar (Sachin), Dravid (Rahul), and Virat (Kohli). Rohit does not quite make it there," Manjrekar said on 'The Great Indian Cricket Show’ on Doordarshan.
Rohit amassed 4,301 runs from 67 Tests at an average of 40.57, including hitting 12 centuries and 18 fifties. He averaged a wonderful 42.81 in 66 innings as an opener in Tests, including hitting nine centuries and eight fifties. He also oversaw India becoming runners-up in the 2023 World Test Championship (WTC) final after losing to Australia at The Oval.
"But if you look at one-day cricket, selflessness, or captainship, then you have to mention Rohit Sharma. Especially after the 2023 World Cup, the love people have for him is on another level. People saw that he was never thinking about himself; he was willing to sacrifice his own interests for the team’s advantage. That's his real speciality.
"His easy domination in limited overs cricket was always pleasing, almost making 300 runs in one ODI innings. But when you talk of All Time Indian Batting Great, Test cricket holds more weightage, I don't think he made a big impact in that format,' he added.
Rohit is India's fourth-highest run-scorer in international cricket (T20Is, ODIs and Tests combined) with 19700 runs to his name. From 273 ODIs, he has 11,168 runs at an average of 48.76. He has 32 centuries and 58 fifties in ODIs. He has 4231 runs in T20I, including five centuries and 32 fifties. In Tests, Sharma has scored 4301 runs in 67 matches while 11,168 runs in ODIs.
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