Former India batter Sanjay Manjrekar said that the decision to not select Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma for the Duleep Trophy was not a good decision. Manjrekar added that had the star duo played some red-ball cricket heading into the first Test against Bangladesh, things could
have been different for them as well.

While discussing the Indian duo’s performance in a video on ESPNcricinfo, Manjrekar said, “I’m not worried, but I’m sure somebody made a note of the fact that they would have been better off had they played some red-ball cricket. There was the option of picking them in the Duleep Trophy. So one has to be careful about treating certain players differently and do what’s best for Indian cricket and for the player.

“Virat and Rohit not playing (Duleep Trophy) was not good for Indian cricket, nor was it good for the two players. Had they played the Duleep Trophy and had some time in the red-ball cricket, things would have been different,” he again added.

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However, while Manjrekar questioned the preferential treatment given to some players in Team India based on their stature, the veteran also backed both Kohli and Rohit to get back among the runs as well.

“They have the class and experience to make a comeback later in the series, and I don’t see them, for that reason, not being in form,” he said.

Meanwhile, Abhimanyu Easwaran scored two hundreds in the Duleep Trophy so far and former India player Sunil Gavaskar asked he should not be overlooked.

“Abhimanyu Easwaran’s two hundreds in the Duleep Trophy also should not be overlooked, for in Australia, India will need players who can play the short ball. It would be better to go with more opening batters in the squad as they can bat not only at the top but also in the middle order,” wrote Gavaskar in his column. “With Hardik Pandya not yet ready, or so it seems, to bowl more overs, it might be a good idea for the selectors to encourage Venkatesh Iyer to bowl a bit more in the Ranji Trophy. He was not part of any team in the Duleep Trophy, but he is a quality player and a left-handed batter to boot and should be kept an eye on, along with young Nitish Reddy.”