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Former Indian batter Sanjay Manjrekar took aim at global cricketing superstar Virat Kohli for his performance in the T20 World Cup 2024 final which Team India won. Kohli was named the Player of the Match as he scored 76 and played a major role in the Men in Blue defeating South Africa by seven runs.
The 35-year-old saw his team go down to 34-3 when he and Axar Patel put forth a 72-run stand which became the base as Team India posted a 176-run stand. But Kohli's knock, despite leading to a win, received criticism. Sanjay Manjrekar hit back at the Indian top-order batter for his strike rate and deemed the knock to jeopardise the team.
Manjrekar criticises Virat Kohli's knock in T20 WC final
Speaking to ESPN Cricinfo, Sanjay Manjrekar said, "By playing that innings, Hardik Pandya, one of their most devastating batters, had just two balls to face. So I thought India's batting was good, but Virat Kohli had potentially played an innings that would've put India in a tight corner. And it almost proved to be that, before these guys' bowlers came in the end."
"India were in a losing position, 90 per cent winning chances (for South Africa). 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," he added.
After the final as Virat Kohli accepted his POTM award, he announced his retirement from T20I cricket. Kohli ends his T20I with a massive tally of 4188 runs in 125 matches.
