Rohit Sharma’s white-ball record speaks volume about him. Most runs in an ODI innings (by batting position), most hundreds (five) in an ODI series, fastest to 11,000 ODI runs, a T20 World Cup and six IPL
titles winning captain, are some of the accolades associated with him. It can be said that it took him time and persistence, which resulted in Rohit morphing into a colossus in white-ball cricket. Rohit's ODI record is stellar: 11,168 runs in 273 matches at 48.76, with 32 centuries – second only to Tendulkar's 49. In T20Is, he retired as the format's highest run-scorer with 4,231 runs in 159 matches at 32.05 and a strike rate of 140.89, including five centuries. However, a candid assessment of Rohit as a Test cricketer has reportedly ignited discussions across the cricketing world.
Former Indian cricketer and renowned commentator Sanjay Manjrekar has controversially omitted Rohit Sharma from his list of all-time Indian batting greats. He cited Rohit's "unimpressive" performance in Test cricket as the primary reason and said, “Rohit Sharma does not fit in the all-time Indian batting great list because we're talking about legends like Gavaskar (Sunil), Tendulkar (Sachin), Dravid (Rahul), and Virat (Kohli).” While speaking on Doordarshan, Manjrekar further added, “His easy domination in limited-overs cricket was always pleasing, almost making 300 runs in one ODI innings. But when you talk of an all-time Indian batting great,s Test cricket holds more weightage. I don't think he made a big impact in that format.”
Rohit Sharma does not quite make it there: Sanjay Manjrekar
While stating “Rohit Sharma does not quite make it there,” Sanjay Manjrekar referenced how Rohit’s numbers are pale in comparison to the benchmarks set by the players he mentioned. Sunil Gavaskar amassed 10,122 runs in 125 Tests at 51.12 average, including 34 hundreds. Sachin Tendulkar, fondly known as the "God of Cricket," made 15,921 Test runs in 200 matches averaging 53.78 with 51 centuries. Rahul Dravid scored 13,288 runs in 164 Tests at 52.31 with 36 tons, and Virat Kohli, who retired from Tests just five days after Rohit announced his Test retirement, amassed 9,230 runs in 123 Tests at an average of 46.85 with 30 centuries.
Manjrekar's critique reportedly highlights Rohit's struggles abroad, where he managed just two overseas Test centuries in 57 innings, underscoring a perceived lack of consistency in challenging conditions.This view echoes Manjrekar's earlier comments in January 2025, when he reportedly questioned Rohit's "mysterious" exclusion from the fifth Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Sydney, noting, "Rohit has played 60-odd Tests with two overseas centuries and an average of just 40. I don’t get why it should be so mysterious." Recently, Rohit bid farewell to Test cricket that saw him accumulate 4,301 runs in 67 matches at an average of 40.57. His Test tally includes 12 centuries and 18 half-centuries, with a highest score of 212.
