'Virat and Rohit are not in their prime' - Sanjay Manjrekar shares his thoughts on Indian red-ball side ahead of Australian tour

With the 2024-25 edition of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy approaching close with every passing day, the hype for the coveted series is certainly building up according to expectations. A lot of cricket experts and ex-cricketers have spoken on the strategies which are anticipated to be employed, as well as how the two sides should line up for the five Tests in terms of utilizing their resources.

Former India cricketer, Sanjay Manjrekar, spoke on the same and was of the opinion that ace batter, Virat Kohli, and skipper, Rohit Sharma, were “not in their prime”. He also pointed out the only player he felt was operating to his full capabilities at present.

"It might be a tough one. Virat and Rohit, both are not in their prime, they are not at the peak of their powers to be fair and others like Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill have to rise to the occasion. Rishabh Pant is the only one that I feel is in his prime and a very important player," stated Manjrekar while speaking on SportifyWithPRG.

Also Read: [Exclusive] You don't really need Virat Kohli to contribute in home conditions: Sanjay Manjrekar

Manjrekar compares bowling line-ups of India and Australia

The cricketer-turned-commentator thought the bowling attack of India was taken care of. He observed that Australia lacked the bite it used to have in the past.

“India is sorted. As for the Australians, the aura and ability they had in the past, where every game they played, they were like champions, is not there anymore,” added Manjrekar.

Also Read: Test series versus India could be tightly held until last game, got to manage resources accordingly: Pat Cummins

While India will be going into the Border-Gavaskar Trophy on the back of five Tests being played ever since the conclusion of the T20 World Cup 2024, Australia will be stepping into the series having played their last red-ball game in March. However, quite a lot of their red-ball regulars have taken to Sheffield Shield to fine-tune their skills and technique. With Australia losing the past couple of Test series against India at home (2020-21 and 2018-19), the onus would be on them to deliver the goods.