Former Indian cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar has once again come out with his remarks after earlier saying that the former India captain Virat Kohli opted for the “easiest format” by continuing only in ODIs after deciding to retire from Test cricket. Manjrekar’s earlier comments came in the aftermath of the fifth and final Ashes Test at the SCG, where England's Joe Root and Australia's Steve Smith plundered centuries. Steve and Root's thriving performances in the longest format prompted Manjrekar to reflect on Kohli’s absence from Test cricket. In his latest comments, Manjrekar explained why he believes 50-over is the easiest format to play.
“A lot of people have asked me why I keep saying ODI cricket is easy for top-order batters. I will give you one little fact. 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 in a video on Instagram.
“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, there's 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.
Virat Kohli officially called time on his Test career in May 2025, following a difficult tour of Australia during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. In his Test career, Kohli featured for India in 123 Tests, scoring 9,230 runs, including 30 centuries and 31 half-centuries.