Sanjay Manjrekar opened up on India's Test match struggles |courtesy- IANS/AP/ICC
KEY HIGHLIGHTS
- Sanjay Manjrekar called out India's hero-worship culture
- Manjrekar namedropped Sehwag, Sachin, Dravid, Laxman
- India lost the Border-Gavaskar Trophy after 10 years
Sanjay Manjrekar minced no words in calling out India's 'generational slump' in Test cricket after a nightmare 2024-25 season in which New Zealand beat them 3-0 at home in what was the first instance of India being whitewashed at home in a red-ball series of three or more matches. Later, the Rohit Sharma-led side were beaten by Australia 3-1 in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
Manjrekar claimed that while a phase of transition in inevitable for every team, India is affected more than others. The ex-India batter claimed that icon culture and hero-worshipping of certain players lead to a situation where iconic players end up costing the team. He recalled a similar run for the Test team in 2011-12 and pointed out poor run of form with the bat of Virender Sehwag, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, and VVS Laxman at that time.
"India are a sought-after cricket team that the world wants to eagerly host. They play a lot of matches in SENA (South Africa, England, New Zealand, Australia) countries, so it is fair to be judged to the highest standards. This ‘generational slump’ is inevitable for all teams. It’s what we know as the transition phase and among the best teams in the world, I believe it affects India the most," wrote Manjrekar in a column for Hindustan Times as quoted by India Today.
"The one foremost reason behind this is the icon culture we have in India and the hero worship of certain players. Be it 2011-12 or now, it’s the same scenario that gets played out -- iconic players featuring prominently doing the opposite of what they did their entire careers, thereby dragging the team down with their diminished performances.
"When India lost 0-8 to England and Australia, Tendulkar averaged 35, Sehwag 19.91 and Laxman 21.06. Only Dravid stood out and got runs in England (he averaged 76.83) but in Australia, he too was given a harsh reality check (he averaged 24.25)," Manjrekar added.
The cricketer-turned-commentator stated that Indians make emotional calls instead of rational ones and those who are in decision-making positions are unable to make decisions based on cricketing logic fearing public backlash.
"Thing is, when it comes to the big players, we as a country are just not able to stay rational. Emotions run high and those in positions to take decisions on these players are influenced by this climate. Cricketing logic goes out of the window and then the selectors hope the player leaves on his own so that they don’t look like the villains who brutally ended the career of a great who millions of fans worship. They just fear the backlash," Manjrekar added.
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