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The ODIs have begun to draw fans back in, and much of the renewed interest can be traced to the presence of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. With both veterans stepping away from Tests and T20Is, their focus now lies solely on the 50-over format, adding a fresh layer of intrigue to ODIs. Kohli and Rohit continue to command huge followings and remain among the biggest crowd pullers in the game. That said, the format still trails Tests and T20Is in overall impact, with former India batter Sanjay Manjrekar even describing ODIs as the easiest version of the sport.
Manjrekar recently took a pointed swipe at Kohli, suggesting that the former India captain opted to continue in ODIs, the format he termed the easiest, while stepping away from Tests, which he said challenge batters the most.
“It was OK if Virat Kohli had just walked away from cricket, retired from all formats. But that he’s chosen to play one-day cricket actually disappoints me more because this is a format which, for a top-order batter, I’ve said before as well, is the easiest format. The format that really tests you is first, obviously, Test cricket, and T20 cricket has its different challenges,” Manjrekar said in a video on his Instagram account.
Veteran India spinner Harbhajan Singh contradicted Manjrekar’s assessment, defending Kohli and dismissing the notion that scoring runs in any format of the game can be termed easy.
“If it was so easy to score runs in any format, then everyone would have made it,” he said. “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 on Sportstar.
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“Virat Kohli played a major role to take the game foward”
While acknowledging Manjrekar’s perspective, Harbhajan emphasised Kohli’s impact, crediting him and his peers for shaping the modern game and motivating future stars.
“They inspire the next generation. Manjrekar has his own way of thinking. The way I see it is that Virat and these players have played a major role to take this game forward,” Harbhajan said.
Kohli has been in outstanding form in ODIs and recently climbed back to the top of the ICC rankings after nearly five years. Harbhajan, meanwhile, has continued to praise the Indian batting great, suggesting that even without stepping away from Tests, Kohli would still have been the side’s key player.
“Virat is an unbelievable player. Even today, if he plays Test cricket, he will be our main player,” the former spinner added.
