Indian cricketer Virat Kohli | Image: Twitter
Sanjay Manjrekar, former Indian cricketer turned commentator, has sparked controversy following India’s victory over Pakistan in the T20 World Cup 2024. While praising Jasprit Bumrah’s match-winning performance, Manjrekar appeared to downplay Virat Kohli’s contribution to the team.
In a post on a social media platform X [formerly known as Twitter], Sanjay Manjrekar lauded Jasprit Bumrah, stating:
“While Indian media obsesses over Virat & Co, Jasprit Bumrah quietly wins games for India single-handedly. By far the best player in the Indian team & has been for a while now.”
While Indian media obsesses over Virat & Co, Jasprit Bumrah quietly wins games for India single-handedly. By far the best player in the Indian team & has been for a while now.????????????#JaspritBumrah#ICCT20WC
— Sanjay Manjrekar (@sanjaymanjrekar) June 10, 2024
Jasprit Bumrah Earns Back-to-Back MOMs in T20 World Cup 2024
These comments come amidst Kohli’s lean patch, with the star batter scoring just a single run against Pakistan. This was the first time Kohli was dismissed for a single-digit score against Pakistan in a T20 World Cup match.
India’s batting, aside from a valiant 42 by Rishabh Pant, collapsed on a challenging pitch of the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium. They were bowled out for a mere 119 runs – first time in the history of the T20 World Cup against Pakistan.
However, Bumrah delivered a match-winning performance, taking 3-14 in his three overs, including the crucial wickets of Pakistan’s top batters, Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan. He also dismissed Iftikhar Ahmed with the last ball of his spell.
Notably, Bumrah bowled 15 dot balls in his 24 deliveries. This stellar performance has secured him back-to-back Player of the Match awards in the tournament so far.
