Virat Kohli dominated the three-match ODI series against New Zealand, which India lost 2-1.
Virat Kohli was India’s stand-out batter in the just-concluded three-match ODI series against New Zealand, which the hosts lost by a margin of 2-1.
The star batter played a match-winning knock of 93 off 91 balls in the series opener at Vadodara. While Kohli endured a rare failure in the second ODI at Rajkot and scored only 23, he slammed a record-extending 54th century (124 off 108) in the series-decider at Indore, albeit in a losing cause.
Virat’s blockbuster performance in the series was followed by a pointed post from his elder brother Vikas Kohli on social media platform Threads.
Vikas’ post was widely viewed as an open dig at Sanjay Manjrekar after the former India cricketer recently stirred a debate by calling ODIs the ‘easiest format’.
"I wonder if Mr Expert of cricket has some suggestions for the easiest form of cricket. You need to be there to do that. Anyways, as I said, Easier said than done," Vikas Kohli wrote on Threads.
Earlier this month, Manjrekar suggested that Virat Kohli chose the ‘easiest’ format to play for the final phase of his international career by retiring from Tests and T20Is. His comment came after Joe Root and Steve Smith slammed centuries in the fifth and final Ashes Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
In a video shared on his Instagrm account, Manjrekar had said that Kohli’s decision to continue playing ODIs while quitting Test cricket, instead of working on his flaws, disappoints him.
After his remarks ruffled quite a few feathers, Manjrekar release another video to explain why he believes ODIs are the easiest format to play.
“A lot of people have asked me why I keep saying ODI cricket is easy for top-order batters. Go back a few years in Indian cricket and look at the guys who were opening for India for a long time in 50-over cricket. Those batters were middle-order batters in Test cricket. They were not very keen to open in Test cricket or bat in the top three. They were very happy to play at No. 4, 5, 6,” Manjrekar said.
“But come one day cricket, they were almost desperate to bat in the top three and open. Therein lies the answer as to why I believe it's easy for top order batters, because everybody is queuing up to bat in the top three. The first advantage you get when you are opening in 50-overs cricket or batting at No. 3, there's no four slips and a gully. And you know when a bowler is running in, he's not really coming in to get you out. He's just trying to make sure you don't get 10-15 runs an over,” he added.