Former India spinner Harbhajan Singh has hit back at Sanjay Manjrekar for claiming that Virat Kohli chose the ‘easiest’ format to play for the final phase of his international career by retiring from Tests and T20Is.
Harbhajan, who represented India in 103 Tests, 236 ODIs and 28 T20Is, argued that if the format was so easy then everyone would be scoring truckloads of runs.
In a video shared on Instagram, Manjrekar recently called ODI the easiest format for top-order batters, citing the lack of help for bowlers and conservative field placements.
It is worth mentioning that Kohli bid adieu to Test cricket in May 2025, following a dismal BGT campaign Down Under. Against Australia, he managed just 190 runs in nine innings, and kept getting out in a similar fashion by poking at the deliveries bowled outside off stump.
Kohli finished his Test career with 9230 runs from 123 matches at an average of 46.85, including 30 hundreds and 31 half-centuries. Having called time on his T20I career in 2024, he now remains active only in the 50-over format for India.
“If it was so easy to score runs in any format, then everyone would have made it. Let’s just enjoy what people are doing. They are playing well, winning games, scoring runs, and taking wickets. That's all that matters. It doesn't matter who plays which format. Virat, whether he plays in one format or all formats, has been a fantastic player and a big time match winner for India,” Harbhajan said at an event in Mumbai on Wednesday (January 14).
With less than a month remaining for the T20 World Cup 2026, Harbhajan also threw his weight behind Suryakumar Yadav, who has been struggling for runs lately.
Suryakumar’s batting numbers have fallen drastically ever since assuming India’s T20I captaincy. He managed to score only 218 runs across 21 matches and 19 innings in 2025, averaging just over 13, with the best score of 47* to his credit.
“Maybe, he is saving it for the World Cup. Surya is a class player. There is no doubt about it. I still believe that he is probably the No.1 player in this format. People often talk about how great AB de Villiers is, but we have our own guy who does the same job. And I do back him to come good for India in this World Cup. Not just as a captain, but as a batter. I am hoping for some big runs from him,” Harbhajan stated.
Harbhajan also addressed the pressure of playing a World Cup at home. “Playing international cricket itself is a pressure. It doesn't matter where you play. It’s kind of a blessing to play in front of your home crowd, in your backyard. You know your condition better than the others, and the support you get is unbelievable,” he remarked.
“I think this team has got everything… They are match-winners. We hope that this trophy will (stay) in India. (If it happens) it will be the first time that the Indian team would win the trophy twice in a row (in 2024 and 2026). It will be fun,” Harbhajan added.
(With TOI Inputs)
