Former Team India batsman Sanjay Manjrekar backed his comment that Virat Kohli chose the easiest format by focusing on ODI matches. The cricketer turned commentator said that top-order batting in ODI cricket is simpler than many people believe, with players often preferring to bat lower down the order in Tests.
Earlier this week, Manjrekar felt unhappy to see Kohli moving away from Test cricket to focus more on ODIs. He shared his thoughts after watching Joe Root and Steve Smith score centuries in the final Ashes Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG). Notably, Kohli has scored 53 ODI centuries, the most in this format.
Sanjay Manjrekar stands by his claim that ODI is the easiest format for top batsmen
Sanjay Manjrekar defended his view that Virat Kohli chose the easiest format by focusing on ODIs. He said that batting at the top order in ODI cricket is not as difficult as it looks. Manjrekar told that many players who opened for India in ODIs were middle-order batsmen in Test cricket.
“A lot of people have asked me why I keep saying that ODI cricket is easy for top-order batsmen. 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,” Manjrekar said on his Instagram.
He said, “Those batsmen were middle-order batsmen in Test cricket. They were not very keen on opening in Test cricket or batting in the top three. They were very happy playing at No. 4, 5, 6.”
Batting at No. 3, no four slips and no gully – Sanjay Manjrekar on Virat Kohli
Manjrekar did not take the name of Virat Kohli but said that in ODI cricket, many batsmen are ready to bat in the top three because the role is easier compared to Tests. He said that in ODI, bowlers focus more on controlling runs than taking wickets.
“But in one-day cricket, they were almost desperate to bat in the top three and open. Therein lies the answer to why I believe it is easier for the top-order batsmen, because everyone is lining up to bat in the top three,” Manjrekar added.
He said, “When you are opening in 50-over cricket or batting at No. 3, the first advantage you get is that there are not four slips and one gully. And you know that when a bowler is running, he is not really coming to get you out. He is just trying to ensure that you do not score 10-15 runs per over.”
Virat Kohli ended his Test career after the Australia tour in May. He finished his Test career with 9,230 runs in 123 matches, which included 30 centuries and 31 half-centuries. In Australia, Kohli scored 190 runs in nine innings and was out several times chasing balls outside the off stump.
It is a difficult place to bat in one-day cricket… – Sanjay Manjrekar blasts
Sanjay Manjrekar said that players like MS Dhoni, Yuvraj Singh and Suresh Raina have batted in the middle and lower-middle order in ODIs and still maintained a remarkable record. He said that batting in the middle order requires more skill and patience than opening or batting at No. 3.
“So if you are a good enough player, you just play the first 10 to 15 overs. Then the field spreads out, and gradually, if you are a good rotator of the strike, you get to 100. The tough place to bat in one-day cricket is where Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina, or MS Dhoni would bat, which is 4, 5, 6. These were tough positions,” Manjrekar said.
“So if you are looking for a great batsman, you won’t find him in one-day cricket, and especially at numbers one, two and three. One-day cricket is the last place I would want to see our great batsmen today because there is a lot to offer for guys batting in the top three in one-day cricket,” he said.
Also read: Virat Kohli is just 42 runs away from surpassing Kumar Sangakkara in the all-time international runs list
