Virat Kohli's match-winning knock in Vadodara rekindled the discussion over the "easy ODI" concept. The debate erupted after his elder brother, Vikas Kohli, made a cryptic remark about former India cricketer-turned-commentator Sanjay Manjrekar following the first ODI against New Zealand.
Virat Kohli scored 93 as he led India to a four-wicket victory over New Zealand in the first one-day international. Shubman Gill contributed 56 and Shreyas Iyer 49. Previously, Daryl Mitchell, Devon Conway, and Henry Nicholls each scored half-centuries to help New Zealand reach 300/8.
Following Virat Kohli’s brilliant knock, for which he earned a Player of the Match award, his brother Vikas Kohli took to the social media platform ‘Threads’ and posted a cryptic message aimed at ex-cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar.
This was in response to Manjrekar’s recent remarks on the nature of one-day cricket, particularly for batters at the top of the order. Manjrekar claimed in an Instagram video that, in contrast to Tests, the 50-over format's constrained attacking fields made it simpler to score runs.
"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-over cricket or batting at No. 3 is that there are 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.
Vikas Kohli stepping in to defend his brother is far from unprecedented. He has previously pushed back against Manjrekar’s criticism on multiple occasions. This time, the response came in the wake of yet another high-pressure innings that showcased Kohli’s control during a chase.
“Such a easy format isnt it ... someone gave his gyaan few days back... easier said than done...” Vikas Kohli wrote on Threads, which was seen by many as a clear reference to Manjrekar’s earlier comments.
