Former India cricket team batter Sanjay Manjrekar has given his take on the growing speculations over Rohit Sharma’s future in the national team. Having said that retirement is an extremely personal call, Manjrekar mentioned that the selectors will have the final say on whether Rohit continues to feature in the playing XI or not.
Rohit Sharma had pulled out of the fifth Test in Sydney owing to a poor run of form. In an interview on Day 2 of the match, he spoke candidly about swirling speculations of his future in cricket, stating that he is not thinking of retiring anytime soon. However, Manjrekar issued a word of caution, stating that Rohit’s position in the team could be in jeopardy if he fails to get back among runs.
Manjrekar says, “Rohit wanted to clear some points, mainly since some credit for that exclusion went to Gautam Gambhir. He wanted to set the record straight.” He admired the openness of Rohit during the interview, especially when Rohit justified his decision to exclude himself from the game: “I couldn’t have another out-of-form batter in the XI.”
While sympathetic to the sentiments of the players, who wanted to take decisions about their future, Manjrekar felt it was not advisable to leave the decision of selection entirely to the players. “Retirement is a personal decision, but selection is left to the chairman of selectors,” he said. “Respecting the hierarchy is important, irrespective of the stature of a player.
The strong chairman will have to take a call on what is good for the long-term interest of Indian cricket and if a player’s career needs to be extended or ended. Basically, though the players can determine their retirement, the selection to represent India rests in the hands of those who run team selections.
