IND vs PAK: Virat Kohli Will Have A Great World Cup: Sanjay Manjrekar Emphasises On Virat's Importance For Team India

Former India batsman Sanjay Manjrekar has named the format that batting superstar Virat Kohli is most effective in at present. Not very long ago, the former India skipper was ruling all three formats and was the number-one ranked batsman in the world across formats.

Things, however, have changed in the last few months. Virat Kohli is no longer a regular member of the T20I team as he has not been picked for the T20I team since the conclusion of the T20 World Cup last year. While he has not retired from the shortest format of the game, it would not be very surprising if the selectors decide against picking him in the team for next year’s T20 World Cup.

He could face a similar situation in the ODIs too after the upcoming World Cup. He will be almost 39 when the next ODI World Cup takes place. And while only time will tell how things unfold in the coming years as far as Virat Kohli’s illustrious international career is concerned, fans and experts have started commenting on the same.

Sanjay Manjrekar on Virat Kohli:

Recently, former Pakistan pacer Shoaib Akhtar recently opined that Virat Kohli should give up ODI cricket after the World Cup and focus only on Test cricket. And as the discussion over Virat Kohli’s future goes on, Sanjay Manjrekar believes ODI is the format where he is most effective. The former cricketer-turned-commentator also explained why Virat Kohli is still so important for India on the big stage.

“Great player who has had a great journey. But people change, players change and skills change as well. At this stage, you see that Rohit Sharma, his greatest skill and impact is visible in Test cricket. I expect Virat to have a great WC,” Sanjay Manjrekar told Star Sports.

“With his current state of play, you would think that 50-overs is just the right format for him.

“On the big stage, he has done it for India on many occasions. You get excited about many young and rising players. But on a big night, we need a player, who has been there, done that. That is where Virat becomes so valuable for India,” he added.

Capturing @sanjaymanjrekar's insights on @imVkohli's crucial role in #AsiaCup2023 where he feels it's the essence of handling pressure on the big stage that makes King Kohli a game-changer. ?#AsiaCupOnStar#Cricket pic.twitter.com/Dminnnsytg

— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) August 27, 2023

Virat Kohli has enjoyed a stellar ODI career so far. He has scored 12,898 runs in 275 matches so far with the help of 46 centuries and 65 fifties. He has been in good form in the 50-over format this year and has scored 427 runs in 10 games so far with the help of two centuries and a fifty. He will be seen in action soon when the Asia Cup gets underway this week.

India Squad for Asia Cup 2023: Rohit Sharma (captain), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Ishan Kishan, Hardik Pandya (vice-captain), Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammad Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Kuldeep Yadav, Prasidh Krishna.