Both Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli have said goodbye to Test cricket. Earlier, both of them had also retired from T20 International after the T20 World Cup. Now who will replace them in the team, this is the big question. At the same time, the debate regarding the comparison between the two giants is also going on. Former Indian cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar has recently started a new debate among the fans regarding the comparison between Test cricket batting stalwarts Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli.
He asked fans and cricket experts not to put the two legends in the same category in the longer format. He said that Kohli is miles ahead of Rohit, especially in the red ball format. In his Test career, Rohit scored 4301 runs in 67 matches at an average of over 40. Rohit also scored 12 Test centuries. While Kohli scored 9230 runs in 123 Tests at an average of 46.85, which includes 30 centuries.
We even have a word for them: stop
Manjrekar said, ‘Recently, India’s new Test captain Shubman Gill made a statement about how he is now going to feel the pressure of not having Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli in the England season, in the Test series there. And this created a stir inside me, which was there for some time. It is not just a statement. The fact is that Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli are kept together.’
In a video shared on Instagram, he said, ‘We even have a word for them, stop it. I can understand it in white ball cricket. There is some comparison, and they are comparable players. However, there is a debate there as well, but that is for a later time. When it comes to red ball cricket, there is no comparison at all between the two. And I would never put them in the same category.’
He further said, ‘I cannot be completely sure, but this is my guess. So, when it comes to Test cricket i.e. red ball cricket, when you compare Virat Kohli with Rohit Sharma, he is in a different league. Comparing Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli in red ball cricket and putting them in the same category, I say, stop it, stop it.’