Virat Kohli gets Harbhajan Singh beside him as former India star bashes Sanjay Manjrekar

Harbhajan Singh has fired back at Sanjay Manjrekar's pointed criticism of Virat Kohli, calling out the notion that scoring in ODIs is a cakewalk.

Virat Kohli, 37, retired from Test cricket after a lean

five-year spell averaging 31, shifting focus to ODIs where he thrives. In the ongoing New Zealand series, he smashed 93 in the first ODI to chase 301 in Vadodara but managed only 23 in the second match.

Former India batter Sanjay Manjrekar sparked the row in a social media video, contrasting Kohli with Test giants like Joe Root, Steve Smith, and Kane Williamson.

"Well, as Joe Root attains new heights in Test cricket, my mind goes to Virat Kohli. He's walked away from Tests, and it's unfortunate that in the five years that he struggled before retiring, that he didn't quite put his heart and soul into finding out the problems as to why he was averaging 31 for five years in Tests," Manjrekar said.

He added, "But that he's chosen to play one-day cricket actually disappoints me more, because this is a format which for a top-order batter. is the easiest format.​"

Harbhajan's Fiery Defense

Speaking at a Mumbai Indians-Malaysia Airlines event, Harbhajan dismissed the "easy" label, stressing elite success demands grind.

"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," he retorted.

Harbhajan hailed Kohli as an inspiration who advanced Indian cricket, adding, "Virat is an unbelievable player. Even today, if he plays Test cricket, he will be our main player. "

Kohli's brother Vikas joined the fray, amplifying fan outrage over Manjrekar's history of critiquing the star batter. Kohli, meanwhile, has continued his merry way in the ODI setup, and is expected to play in the 3rd ODI against New Zealand on Sunday.