India went down in the last two ODIs against New Zealand to concede the series.
India’s first-ever home ODI series loss to New Zealand has sparked a lot of outrage. While the Men in Blue kicked off the three-match series with a four-wicket victory in Vadodara, the Kiwis bounced back to win the second ODI by seven wickets in Rajkot.
During the series-deciding third ODI in Indore, the Black Caps racked up a formidable 337/8 on the board and bundled out the hosts for 296 to secure a 41-run win, clinching the series 2-1.
Amid the uproar on social media, former India cricketer-turned-commentator Sanjay Manjrekar asked fans to take it easy, saying the bilaterals are just there to give the teams a chance to figure out their playing combination for marquee events like the World Cup.
For Manjrekar, losing the ODI series is “no big deal” and even the ICC Champions Trophy doesn't matter.
“India losing to New Zealand in the ODI series recently, no big deal. Honestly, in 50-over cricket today, what really matters is the World Cup, not even the Champions Trophy, because if you try and remember the last three Champions Trophy winners, you'll struggle to remember those. But World Cup, you'll remember each winner from the time the tournament started,” Manjrekar said in a video posted on his Instagram account.
“So yes, if you want to have your setbacks and your poor performances, get it out of the system now in time for the next World Cup. You've qualified for the World Cup. So these bilateral series are scheduled, but they're mostly, I would say, warm-up games, and one shouldn't read too much into it,” he added.
With the growing popularity of T20 leagues and T20Is, clouds are hovering over the future of bilateral ODI cricket. Many feel that the 50-over format is time-consuming and want the ICC to completely abolish it.
Manjrekar echoed similar sentiments, saying no fan truly remembers the result of a bilateral series after a few days.
“In fact, the importance of these bilateral ODI series has become such that two weeks later, no cricket fan also remembers the result of what happened in that bilateral one-day series. It's all about the World Cup, and form coming into the World Cup, really. When you look at it, it's not a big indicator of who's going to win the World Cup. It's all about playing well during the World Cup,” Manjrekar stated.
“Have fun, play these bilateral series, and get some idea as to what your squad is going to be like. But let's not read too much into these performances. It's all about the World Cup. And come the World Cup, India should be up and running. So 50 years cricket for me now is only the World Cup and as an Indian, former India player and Indian cricket supporter, even in the World Cup, it's not about that long sort of qualification phase, the league stage, it's about the semis and finals. In a nutshell, that's 50-over cricket for me, marked up until the next World Cup. Let's not make a big deal about this loss, shall we?” he remarked.