Former India batter Sanjay Manjrekar has sparked fresh debate in cricketing circles with his strong remarks on Virat Kohli’s career choices, particularly his decision to step away from Test cricket while continuing to feature in limited-overs formats. Manjrekar suggested that Kohli exited red-ball cricket without fully addressing technical flaws that contributed to his dip in form, while opting to play what he described as the “easiest” format for batters — One-Day Internationals.

Manjrekar’s comments quickly drew reactions from across the cricket fraternity. After India captain Shubman Gill publicly defended his senior teammate, former off-spinner Harbhajan Singh has now thrown his weight behind Kohli, firmly rejecting the notion that scoring runs is easy in any format of the game.

Speaking on the sidelines of an event, Harbhajan Singh stressed that excellence at the highest level demands skill, discipline, and consistency, regardless of the format. “If scoring runs was so easy, everyone would have done it. Let’s enjoy what players are doing — winning games, scoring runs, taking wickets. That’s what matters,” Harbhajan Singh said, branding Kohli a “big-time match-winner” for India.

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Harbhajan Singh further highlighted Kohli’s influence beyond statistics, noting his role as an inspiration to the next generation of cricketers.

“It doesn’t matter whether Virat plays one format or all formats. He has been a fantastic player and has played a massive role in taking Indian cricket forward,” he added, while acknowledging that Manjrekar is entitled to his personal perspective.

Virat Kohli’s stature in the game remains unquestioned. Widely regarded as one of the finest batters of the modern era, Kohli was recently described by Sunil Gavaskar as the greatest ODI batter of all time, underlining his impact in the 50-over format.

In a video shared on Instagram, Manjrekar elaborated on his stance, expressing disappointment that Kohli did not pursue a deeper technical reset in Test cricket, especially given that contemporaries like Joe Root continue to scale new heights. He contrasted Kohli’s decision with the sustained red-ball success of players such as Root, Steve Smith, and Kane Williamson.

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Manjrekar argued that Kohli walking away from Tests was more disappointing because he chose to continue in ODIs, which he believes offer more favourable conditions for top-order batters. While opinions remain divided, the discussion has once again highlighted Kohli’s enduring relevance and the strong emotions his career choices continue to evoke in Indian cricket discourse.