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Sanjay Manjrekar has made it abundantly clear that he is not a supporter of the growing tendency to club Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli together under the ‘RoKo’ label when it comes to Test cricket. Both Rohit and Kohli announced their retirements from Test cricket in May 2025, just days apart, drawing an emotional reaction from the cricketing world.
Sanjay Manjrekar shuts down Rohit Sharma-Virat Kohli Test match debates
The former India cricketer-turned-commentator, in a video shared on his Instagram account, strongly criticized this ongoing narrative and urged that the two players be judged based on their red-ball records individually, not comparatively. He stated that Kohli and Rohit have followed vastly different trajectories in the longest format and emphasized that Kohli’s dominance in Tests places him in a ‘different league altogether,’
According to Manjrekar, while the acronym ‘RoKo’ might carry some relevance in white-ball cricket, its application in Test cricket is unjustified and misleading. He was prompted to address the issue after Shubman Gill, India’s newly appointed Test captain, commented on feeling the pressure of missing both Rohit and Kohli during the upcoming Test series in England. That remark, Manjrekar said, stirred the ‘bee in his bonnet,’ and reignited a frustration he’s harbored for some time now.
“Shubman Gill made a statement, India’s new Test captain about how he is not going to feel the pressure of the absence of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli in the England season, in the Test series there. It’s stirred up the Bee in my Bonnet, which has been there for a while. It’s not so much about the statement but the fact that Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli tend to get clubbed together. We even have a term for them ‘ROKO’. I can understand in white-ball cricket there is some comparison, they are comparable players. There’s an argument there is as well but that’s for a later time.,” Manjrekar said.
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Virat’s Test legacy far outshines Rohit as per Manjrekar
Manjrekar backed his statement with hard facts, pointing out the vast gulf in achievements between the two stalwarts when it comes to red-ball cricket. Kohli, who retired from Test cricket in May 2025 shortly after Rohit, bowed out with a stellar record. In 123 matches, he accumulated more than double the runs of Rohit and maintained an average of 46.8. Kohli also finished as the most successful Indian Test captain, with 40 wins in 68 matches, a record that stands tall in Indian cricket history.
But what truly set Kohli apart, according to Manjrekar, was his extraordinary performance in SENA (South Africa, England, New Zealand, Australia) conditions. He scored 12 Test hundreds in these nations, often considered the toughest for subcontinental batters. Manjrekar also believes lack of overseas success is a crucial factor that weakens any attempt to compare Rohit with Kohli. He even went a step further, suggesting that Rohit’s retirement may have saved his average from declining further. As of his retirement, Rohit averaged 40.57, but Manjrekar speculated that had he been part of the upcoming five-Test tour of England, that figure might have dropped into the 30s due to challenging conditions.
“But when it comes to red-ball cricket, Test cricket, there is absolutely no comparison between the two. I will never ever put them in the same bracket. Just to give you some numbers, so you don’t have to take my word for it. When it comes to SENA countries, the true test of a Test batter, Kohli has got 12 hundreds. 30 Test hundreds is good,” the former Indian cricketer added.
“Rohit Sharma in SENA countries, just the one at The Oval in 2021. He has played over 100 innings but just the one hundred in SENA countries. His current average is 40 and I dare say had he gone to England, it would have dropped to 30s. Can’t be sure but that would be my educated guess,” Manjrekar concluded.
