Former India batsman VVS Laxman said he was shocked to see Rohit Sharma’s name missing from the Wisden Almanack’s Five Cricketers of the Year 2019 list.
England all-rounder Ben Stokes and Australia’s Ellyse Perry were named the Leading Cricketers of 2019 by Wisden Almanack.
Along with Perry, Wisden named Australia’s Pat Cummins, Marnus Labuschagne, England’s Jofra Archer and South Africa’s Simon Harmer as the Five Cricketers of the Year. Wisden also named West Indies all-rounder Andre Russell as T20 Leading Cricketer of 2019.
Laxman felt that the India opener, who slammed five hundreds in the 2019 ODI World Cup, deserved to be there in the list.
“I think anyone who follows the game of cricket will be surprised and shocked not to see Rohit Sharma’s name in those five players list,” said Laxman, a veteran of 134 Tests.
“Because yes, The Ashes is an important series, the World Cup is bigger than Ashes. And someone who has scored five hundreds; remember the first hundred was on a tough wicket in Southampton against South Africa and none of the other batsmen got runs,” added the former middle order batsman on Star Sports 1 show Cricket Connected.
“And he [Rohit] played another important knock against Pakistan. I am really shocked and surprised, and every cricketer will be shocked and surprised by this announcement from Wisden,” Laxman signed off.