New Delhi: Former Indian cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar made headlines by asserting that India’s ODI captain, Rohit Sharma, does not belong on the list of all-time Indian batting greats.
According to Manjrekar, India’s all-time batting legends include Sunil Gavaskar, Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, and Virat Kohli, while Rohit does not quite fit into this elite category.
Speaking on The Great Indian Cricket Show on Doordarshan, Manjrekar said, “Rohit Sharma does not fit in the All-Time Indian Batting Great list because we’re talking about legends like Gavaskar, Tendulkar, Dravid, and Kohli. Rohit does not quite make it there.”
However, he praised Rohit as a selfless cricketer, emphasizing that in terms of one-day cricket, selflessness, and captaincy, Rohit deserves recognition.
Rohit’s record in ODI World Cups is remarkable. He is India’s third-highest and overall fourth-highest run-scorer in World Cup history, accumulating 1,575 runs in 28 matches at an average of 60.57, with seven centuries and six fifties. His highest score in the tournament is 140, and he holds the record for the most centuries in a single World Cup, scoring five in the 2019 edition in the UK, amassing 648 runs at an average of 81.00.
In the 2023 World Cup at home, Rohit continued his consistent and aggressive form, scoring 597 runs in 11 matches at an average of 54.27, including one century and three fifties, striking at over 125.
Manjrekar added, “If you look at one-day cricket, selflessness, or captainship, you have to mention Rohit Sharma. Especially after the 2023 World Cup, the love people have for him is on another level. He never thought about himself and was always willing to sacrifice for the team. His domination in limited-overs cricket, even approaching 300 runs in a single ODI, was always a delight. But when talking about all-time Indian batting greats, Test cricket holds more weight, and I don’t think he made a huge impact there.”
Rohit retired from Test cricket in May this year and stepped away from T20Is after India’s T20 World Cup 2024 victory, now focusing solely on the 50-over format.
He is India’s fourth-highest international run-scorer across formats with 19,700 runs. In 273 ODIs, Rohit has scored 11,168 runs at an average of 48.76, with 32 centuries and 58 fifties. His highest score of 264 makes him the only batter with three ODI double centuries.
In Tests, Rohit played 67 matches, scoring 4,301 runs at an average of 40.57, including 12 centuries and 18 fifties, with a highest score of 212 against South Africa in 2019.
In T20Is, Rohit is the leading run-scorer with 4,231 runs in 159 matches at an average of 32.05 and a strike rate of 140.89. He has scored five centuries—the most by any batter—and 32 fifties, hitting 205 sixes, the most in the format. Rohit also holds the record for India’s fastest T20I century, reaching 100 in just 35 balls against Sri Lanka in 2017.
