Kohli after his ton against Sri Lanka in the Test series | Photo Credit: IANS

New Delhi: With Ajinkya once again missing out on the second Test match wasn't much of an impact as that of Bhuvneshwar Kumar's omission from the second Test match despite being India's best bowler in the Newlands encounter. Twitter went abuzz criticising Virat Kohli, while veterans and analysts expressed their disappointment over the skipper. Even more, after India's 2-0 drubbing against the Proteas side in the three-match series. But Sanjay Majrekar reckons that Kohli's selection for the two Tests are only increasing the TRPs of cricket.

Rahane is India's best batsman on an overseas platform. Having a stunning average of 53.44 on foreign conditions, the Maharashtra-based cricketer was an obvious choice for Kohli's South Africa journey in the Test format. But the skipper went along with project Rohit Sharma, citing the reason as "current form".

After India's 72-run defeat in Cape Town, cricket fraternity expected the return of Rahane to save the tourists from drowning into shame. But Kohli not only omitted him, once again, but also excluded Bhuvneshwar to call in "extra bounce" from Ishant Sharma. Fans were once again left furious over the decision and continued to shower criticism on the 29-year-old.

In an interview with ESPN Cricinfo, Manjrekar was asked whether he was in consent with the selection decisions made in the two Test matches against South Africa.

"My playing XI for the second Test had only one change – Cheteshwar Pujara out and Ajinkya Rahane in." Adding to it, the former Indian cricketer made a small batting order change. "I want Virat Kohli to bat at No 3 and dictate the mood of the innings," he reckoned.

"But what is happening with Kohli's selection," continued Manjrekar as he corrected his statement. "We are calling it Kohli's selection, but there are others involved in the decision making. But somehow you get the impression that he is the man in charge. So his selections are interesting, controversial, seemingly illogical, but for me, it is only increasing the TRPs of cricket."

The third and final Test will be played at the Wanderers where India would be looking for a consolation win. And once again fans will await the comeback of Rahane and Bhuvneshwar.