Former Indian batter, Sanjay Manjrekar has opined that the captaincy duties has affected Rohit Sharma‘s batting in the ongoing IND vs ENG Test series.
The India skipper has had a disappointing outing in first two matches, managing only 90 runs in 4 innings at an average of 22.50.
Manjrekar pointed out that Rohit has been trying to make an impact as a captain which has affected his batting in the ongoing Test series.
“I just wonder whether. Rohit Sharma is getting to caught up in trying to make an impact as captain. The most important duties for a captain is to also not let that added responsibility affect his batting to much. I’m not saying it is, but I clearly see Rohit Sharma investing in captaincy and trying to make a difference as captain”, Manjrekar told told ESPNCricinfo.
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The former cricketer turned commentator stated that India need Rohit Sharma as a batter first and the Indian opener should focus on it as it is within his control.
“I believe that it’s got to be Rohit Sharma, the batter first and then the captain because when you captain, most things up beyond control, you tried to the right thing. The golden word of Mahendra Singh Dhoni. ‘You do the process and wait for things to happen.’ But batting is something that within his control very much”, Manjrekar further added.
Rohit Sharma in Tests since taking over the captaincy
Rohit Sharma has churned out decent performances as the captain, his contribution has definitely gone down. Overall, he has led in 13 Tests and he has averaged 37.14. As only a player, he averaged 44.50.
Since taking over the Test captaincy from Virat Kohli in February 2022, the 36-year-old has amassed 780 runs in 22 innings at an average of 35.45.
Virat Kohli however had the opposite effect. He averaged 49.15 while not leading in Tests. Captaincy got the best out of him as he averaged 54.80 in 68 matches.
| Year | Innings | Runs | Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 3 | 90 | 30 |
| 2023 | 13 | 545 | 41 |
| 2024 | 6 | 145 | 29 |
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