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‘Compelled To Play In Certain Fashion..’: Former India Cricketer Takes Subtle Dig At Virat Kohli

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5 months ago

June 6, 2024

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‘Compelled To Play In Certain Fashion..’: Former India Cricketer Takes Subtle Dig At Virat Kohli

Updated Jun 6, 2024, 14:12 IST

Virat Kohli opened the innings beside skipper Rohit Sharma. But to the disappointment of many, especially the ones who touted him as India’s best-choice opener for the T20 World Cup 2024 on the basis of form in IPL 2024, were left disappointed after he was dismissed for just one run against Ireland.

Virat Kohli walks off the pitch after being dismissed for one run.

Former India cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar has taken a subtle dig at ace India batter Virat Kohli, saying that he is ‘compelled’ to play in a certain fashion. Kohli perished while trying to go for a big hit in India’s T20 World Cup 2024 opener against Ireland in New York on Wednesday (June 5). Kohli opened the innings beside skipper Rohit Sharma.

But to the disappointment of many, especially the ones who touted Kohli as India’s best-choice opener for the marquee event on the basis of form in IPL 2024, were left disappointed after he was dismissed for just one run against Ireland.

Kohli was caught at third-man by Benjamin White off Mark Adair in just the third over of the run chase. His willingness to go for the big shot that early didn’t sit well with many.

“Virat Kohli, I think compelled to play in a certain fashion because of what’s being said about him. Didn’t need to in a run chase that wasn’t huge,” Manjrekar said while speaking on ESPNCricinfo.

Kohli (1) and Suryakumar Yadav (2) missed out on some batting practice while Rishabh Pant (36 not out) was good in his first outing as No. 3.

While Manjrekar was critical on Kohli’s shot-making, he lauded Rohit’s ability to delight fans by showing intent in white-ball cricket. He said that Rohit is not bothered about milestones and his main aim is to give the team a solid start.

“What the Indian fans have loved about Rohit Sharma the captain, the player, and after the 50-over World Cup, despite India losing the final, I think his popularity and the love the fans have for Rohit Sharma has grown because of the purity of his approach. When he bats, he is not really thinking about milestones,” Manjrekar said.

The former Indian cricketer was impressed by India’s comprehensive win over Ireland. “A performance that sends a strong message to the other teams. We were talking about Ireland being a dangerous side, but they have just made a mockery of that game,” Manjrekar said.

India will next take on arch-rivals Pakistan on June 9, Sunday in New York.