Sanjay Manjrekar and Virat Kohli (Photos by ICC and PTI)

NEW DELHI: Former India spinner Harbhajan Singh has shared his opinion on Sanjay Manjrekar’s remark suggesting that Virat Kohli chose “the easiest format to play” by continuing in ODIs while stepping away from Test cricket. Harbhajan defended Kohli’s stature and consistency, calling such opinions unfair and dismissive of what it takes to succeed at the highest level.Harbhajan responded during an event on Wednesday, making it clear that scoring runs in any format is never easy.

“If it was so easy to score runs in any format, then everyone would have made it. Let’s just enjoy what people are doing. They are playing well, winning games, scoring runs, and taking wickets. That’s all that matters. It doesn’t matter who plays which format. Virat, whether he plays in one format or all formats, has been a fantastic player and a big time match winner for India,” Harbhajan said.He further underlined Kohli’s influence on Indian cricket and his role as an inspiration for younger players. “They inspire the next generation. Manjrekar has his own way of thinking. The way I see it is that Virat and these players have played a major role to take this game forward. Virat is an unbelievable player. Even today, if he plays Test cricket, he will be our main player,” he added.Manjrekar’s comments came at a time when Kohli has been in excellent form in the ODI format. The former India batter, known for his blunt opinions, suggested that modern-day one-day cricket has become significantly easier for top-order batters.In an Instagram video, Manjrekar explained his stance by comparing batting roles across formats. “A lot of people have asked me why I keep saying ODI cricket is easy for top-order batters,” he said, pointing out that several Indian batters preferred opening in ODIs but were content batting in the middle order in Tests. He added that limited fielding restrictions and bowlers focusing more on run control than wickets make life simpler for top-order batters in ODIs.Manjrekar’s remarks triggered widespread debate and criticism, especially after Kohli scored a fluent 93 in the first ODI against New Zealand on Sunday. Kohli’s brother, Vikas Kohli, also issued a strong response in defence of the former India captain.