Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma won’t repeat mistakes of T20 World Cup 2022, feels Sanjay Manjrekar

Former Indian cricketer-turned-commentator Sanjay Manjrekar feels Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma will not repeat their mistakes from the 2022 T20 World Cup in the upcoming edition. The 2024 T20 World Cup kicks off on June 1 with Rohit-led India placed in Group A along with arch-rivals Pakistan, Ireland, USA and Canada. Before their tournament opener, Manjrekar opined that India bowed out of the 2022 edition due to Rohit-Kohli's defensive approach in the semifinals, where they lost to eventual winners England by 10 wickets, but feels the duo will not repeat their mistakes this time around.

'India had lost T20 WC 2022 semifinal due to Kohli, Rohit's knocks'

Manjrekar wrote in his column, "In the last T20 World Cup two years ago, in the semis against England in Adelaide, India batted first and got only 168 runs in 20 overs, and a shocking 62 in the first 10. The bulk of deliveries in this crucial period were faced by the seniors, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. Rohit got 27 off 28 balls at a strike rate of 96, while Virat scored 50 off 40 balls at a strike rate of 125, eventually getting out in the 18th over."

"India had lost the tournament right there. Thanks to Hardik Pandya’s 63 off 33 balls, at a strike rate of 190, India had something to show on the board. England, unsurprisingly, chased the target in 16 overs with 10 wickets in hand," Manjrekar recounted the semifinal loss.

However, Manjrekar feels Rohit and Kohli will not be making the same mistakes this time around as the Hitman has resorted to ultra-aggressive approach at the top whereas Kohli has also improved his power-hitting versus spin outside the powerplays. Manjrekar added, "Having said this, we can be sure of one thing. Rohit and Virat will not commit the same mistakes made in that semis. It’s worth acknowledging that Virat is not the same T20 player he was two years ago. He must know deep down, surely, that the ‘outside noise’ has actually made him a better T20 batter today than he was two years ago."

"Is there still a lingering risk attached to Virat – that when it comes to the big stage, the knockout games, he is preoccupied with batting longer rather than batting quicker? For Indian cricket’s sake, let’s hope this preoccupation is buried deep," the former batter concluded.

In the recent past, Rohit has been very aggressive with the bat at the top (especially in the 2023 ODI World Cup and during the T20Is versus Afghanistan early this year). Meanwhile, Kohli struck at an impressive 154.69 in IPL 2024, ending with most runs (741) in the just-concluded league. Both the batters are expected to continue their run-scoring spree, at a higher strike-rate, in the upcoming T20 WC, in West Indies and USA.