Former Indian cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar has reignited the ongoing debate about Virat Kohli’s strike rate, particularly focusing on Kohli’s performance in the T20 World Cup 2024 final. Speaking to ESPNcricinfo, the cricketer-turned-commentator questioned Kohli’s contribution and expressed that he would have preferred a bowler to be named Player of the Match instead of Kohli.
“The complete turnaround actually saved Virat Kohli’s innings because he played virtually half the innings with a strike rate of 128. My Player of the Match would’ve been a bowler because they actually took the game from the jaws of defeat and won it for India,” Sanjay Manjrekar said, as reported by The Times of India.
India was competing for their second T20 World Cup title against South Africa in the final. At the Kensington Oval in Barbados, the Rohit Sharma-led team decided to bat first. However, the start was far from ideal, with India losing three wickets within the first five overs. Kohli then stepped up with a crucial knock of 76 runs off 59 balls, helping India set a total of 176 runs. While many fans and pundits praised Kohli for his performance, Manjrekar critiqued the pace of his innings, suggesting it was too slow.
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Sanjay Manjrekar argued that Kohli’s innings left India’s explosive batter, Hardik Pandya, with just a couple of balls to face. “By playing that innings, Hardik Pandya, one of their most devastating batters, had just two balls to face,” he remarked.
Sanjay Manjrekar further contended that Kohli’s innings could have put India in a precarious position. “Virat Kohli had potentially played an innings that would’ve put India in a tight corner. And it almost proved to be that before the bowlers turned the game around at the end,” he added.
Despite Sanjay Manjrekar’s criticism, Kohli’s innings turned out to be vital as India secured a seven-run victory over South Africa, clinching their second T20 World Cup title.
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Following this triumph, Kohli announced his retirement from T20I cricket, along with Indian skipper Rohit Sharma and all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja. Next on India’s schedule is a five-match T20I series against Zimbabwe, with the first match set to take place on Saturday, July 6.
