Key facts
- Manjrekar says selection must favour Indian cricket, not Kohli or Rohit
- Debate centres on senior players' futures ahead of 2027 ODI World Cup
- Comments reflect broader conversation about merit-based selection
Sanjay Manjrekar has added a prominent voice to the debate over India's selection future, stating plainly that decisions must always be made in the best interests of Indian cricket — and not in favour of any individual, however legendary, including Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma.
Manjrekar's remarks, published in The New Indian Express, reflect a sentiment that has been gaining ground among former cricketers and analysts as the careers of India's two most high-profile senior batsmen enter their twilight phase. The argument is a simple but politically sensitive one: at some point, the team's needs must come before the reputations of its biggest stars.
The comments arrive in a context where selectors are under public pressure from two opposing directions — fans who want to see beloved veterans continue, and those who argue that a younger generation deserves a clearer pathway into the team. Manjrekar's intervention is a reminder that sentiment and selection have always been in tension in Indian cricket.
With the 2027 ODI World Cup a key horizon event for Indian cricket planning, the question of Kohli and Rohit's roles is far from abstract. Manjrekar's position is that fitness, form and the team's requirements — rather than reputation — should be the deciding factors, and it is a view likely to be shared quietly by many inside Indian cricket's corridors of power.