'It will take a bit of time to build the team' - Sanjay Manjrekar reflects on Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli retirements

The former India cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar admitted that India will become strong even after the retirements of the veterans. Indian senior players Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli announced their Test retirements in a few days' gap. Their retirements raised concerns among Indian selectors and fans about who would replace them and fill their positions in the Indian setup.

The 59-year-old insisted that with young players eager to represent India and the continued popularity of the sport, the immense talent will emerge for the team. He also urged fans not to panic over the retirements and emphasised that it will take some time to rebuild a stronger side.

“Life after Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. I know there will be a few fans concerned. There was a sense of panic when the Fab Four quit all at the same time. But guess what? A couple of years later, India was the number one Test team in the world. So as long...I believe in this very strongly. As long as the sport is popular in India and there are enough young players, youth, desperate to play for India and there are thousands in India, which means anybody who sort of comes through that kind of a grind has to be quality talent. So yes, it will take a bit of time, but let's not panic,” Manjrekar said on his Instagram handle.

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Manjrekar reckoned that the new generation of players will help India become one of the top teams in the world. He admitted that even with the presence of legendary players, India had faced defeats against New Zealand at home and lost the Border-Gavaskar Trophy to Australia. He insisted that the new team will emerge stronger and deliver brilliant performances.

“Remember what happened after Fab Four? - The Indian bowling quality improved. The same could happen here as well. You'll discover new stars and new bowlers and India will continue to be one of the top teams in the world. Then you need some time because in overseas conditions, batting is very important and that is where our current fragility lies. But guess what? There's another way to look at this current Indian team. When Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli were part of the Indian team India lost 3-0 at home versus New Zealand and lost poorly, badly in Australia as well. So guess what? With this team, we just have to think. Nothing to lose. All the best, New India,” he concluded.