Sanjay Manjrekar highlighted that Rohit Sharma and some senior players often start their innings too slowly, which creates pressure on their teams.
The former India cricketer noted Rohit’s performance of 25 runs off 26 balls in the Mumbai Indians’ recent match against the Punjab Kings while chasing a target of 201 runs. Manjrekar pointed out that younger players tend to score quickly at the start without wasting balls, believing they can catch up later.
“When you bat for around 20-22 balls at a strike rate of 100, you put your team in a tough spot. This often happens with veteran players who have had success in the past,” Manjrekar explained on Sportstar.
“They expect a turning point to come later in the innings. Unlike young players, who won’t stay at run-a-ball for 20-25 balls thinking they’ll accelerate later, they often end up getting out when they try to increase their scoring, which is why they miss out on big scores,” he added.
“The centuries have stopped for Rohit Sharma” – Sanjay Manjrekar
Manjrekar noted that Rohit has not been scoring centuries like he used to in his earlier days. He stated that Rohit and Virat Kohli may seem effective individually, but when comparing them to others batting during the power play, the situation looks different.
“Rohit Sharma has not been scoring hundreds, even in white-ball Cricket. He had one against England but to achieve bigger scores, several factors need to align,” said Manjrekar.
“When you evaluate Rohit Sharma or Virat Kohli individually, they might seem successful, but looking at others who get similar chances during the first six overs shows a different picture,” he concluded.
Overall, Rohit has performed fairly well in IPL 2026. In seven innings, he has scored 268 runs at an average of 38.29 and a strike rate of 164.42. In contrast, Kohli has been in excellent form, totaling 542 runs in 13 innings at an average of 54.20 and a strike rate of 164.75.