Manjrekar doubles down after saying Virat Kohli chose the easiest format to play: ‘Won’t find batting great in ODIs'

Former India batter Sanjay Manjrekar doubles down on his claim of ODIs being the easiest format for batters who play in the top order.

Former India batter Sanjay Manjrekar doubled down on his previous remark days after saying that Virat Kohli chose the easiest format (ODIs) to play. Earlier this week, after the centuries by Joe Root and Steve Smith in the fifth and final Ashes Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground, Manjrekar said that it pained him to see Kohli giving up on Tests and opting to play the 50-over format, where he is the leading century-maker with 53 tons.

Virat Kohli will be in action in the ODI series against New Zealand. (PTI)

It is worth mentioning that Kohli called time on his Test career in May 2025, following a torrid time Down Under in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. He bid adieu to his long-cherished format after representing India in 123 Tests and 9230 runs with 30 centuries and 31 half-centuries.

Against Australia, Kohli managed just 190 runs in nine innings, and he kept getting out in a similar fashion by poking at the deliveries bowled well outside off stump. This fact led Manjrekar to say that the right-hander failed to overcome his shortcomings and, possibly, announced his retirement from Tests.

While giving his reasons for why he believes ODIs are the easiest format to play, Manjrekar said that the batters who have been playing in the top order in ODIs are the same who have been reluctant to bat at the same position when it comes to Tests.

“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 on his 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-overs 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.

‘Won’t find them in ODI cricket'

The former Indian batter explained that he holds players such as MS Dhoni, Yuvraj Singh, and Suresh Raina in the highest regard, considering the job they did in ODIs by playing in the middle and lower-middle order, and still maintaining an enviable record in the 50-over format.

“So if you are a good enough player, you just play out the first 10 to 15 overs. Then the field spreads out, and slowly, if you are a good rotator of strike, you get to a 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. Those were the tough positions,” said Manjrekar.

Manjrekar also stated that, in his opinion, no batter who plays in the top order in ODIs can be considered a batting great, considering they get the biggest chance possible to score heaps and heaps of runs.

“So if you are looking for a batting great, you won't find them in one-day cricket, and especially at number one, two, and three. One day cricket is the last place I would look at to see my batting great of today because there's just far too much going for people who bat in the top three in one day cricket,” he added.