Former India cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar feels that it’s unfair to Virat Kohli and Steve Smith to call the ongoing World Cup their last. Kohli and Smith are the two of the most consistent batters in the past decade and have World Cup with their teams in the past. They have made contributions for their side in both red-ball and white-ball formats. However, they both prefer and prioritise Test cricket a bit more as some feel that this edition of World Cup being Kohli and Smith swansong in the World Cup.
“We should never say things like that with people like Virat Kohli, Steve Smith, because these are guys who love batting so much and are willing to put in the hard yards to keep batting forever and batting at a certain level,” Manjrekar said on Star Sports.
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In the 2019 World Cup, Kohli failed to hit a century but he looked in decent touch and scored five-half centuries while accumulating 443 runs at an average of 55.37.
He is the second-highest run-getter for India in World Cup history with 1030 runs in 26 matches. He is behind batting great Sachin Tendulkar on the list.
Meanwhile, Smith played a vital role in Australia’s 2015 World Cup campaign where he amassed 402 runs at an average of 67, including a century and four fifties.
Manjrekar also asserted that both Kohli and Smith are invaluable for their sides when it comes to the 50-over format as they control the game well in the middle overs.
“So, yes, Virat Kohli, 50 overs is his format. Steve Smith as well. Doesn’t fit perfectly in T20 cricket, but these are guys who are very good in that middle section when the game seems a little flat and boring. But this is the phase of the game that decides the fate of the game, and that’s where Steve Smith and Virat Kohli are invaluable for the side,” said Manjrekar.
Meanwhile, an emphatic performance in the Asia Cup followed by a dominant show with the willow against Australia placed the Indian team in a good headspace going into the ODI showpiece but problems remain when it comes to zeroing in on the ideal playing XI.
India begin their campaign against Australia on October 8 in Chennai.
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