Sanjay Manjrekar's veiled dig at Virat Kohli in praise for Jasprit Bumrah: ‘While Indian media…’
Manjrekar lauded Bumrah for his breathtaking efforts with the ball but, at the same time, took an indirect dig at Kohli for getting all the attention.
Former cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar took a dig at Virat Kohli while praising his teammate Jasprit Bumrah after India's nervy win over Pakistan in the T20 World Cup match on Sunday. The Indian batting unit crumbled under pressure in the high-octane clash and posted their lowest-ever total against Pakistan in the T20 World Cup history - 119. However, it was Jasprit Bumrah who rescued them with the ball to extend their domination over the arch-rivals in the World Cup. Bumrah claimed three wickets for just 14 runs as Pakistan were down on their knees while chasing the moderate target and lost the match by 6 runs.
Manjrekar lauded Bumrah for his breathtaking efforts with the ball but, at the same time, took a dig at Kohli for getting all the attention before the mega clash. Kohli, the standout batter for India in the mega clashes against Pakistan in the past decade, had a rare flop outing on Sunday and was dismissed for just 4. The batting maestro got dismissed in the second over as he tried to break shackles early and miscued the shot at the point where Usman Khan grabbed a fine catch. The 35-year-old is one of the biggest newsmakers in the cricketing world and has been the poster boy of ICC to promote cricket in the USA.
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Manjrekar called Bumrah the best player in the Indian team while taking a dig at Kohli.
"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," Manjrekar wrote on X.
Meanwhile, the Indian bowling attack led by Bumrah restricted Pakistan to 113 for seven in 20 overs, replying to India's 119 all-out on a two-paced track. Bumrah once again produced a special performance with the ball, while Hardik Pandya, who flopped with the bat, returned with the bowling figures of 2/24 and brought India back from the dead.
Bumrah completely shifted the game in India's favour with a sensational penultimate over, giving away just three runs and picking the crucial wicket of Iftikhar Ahmed. His brilliance made things a bit easy for Arshdeep Singh in the final where he had to defend 18 runs which he did comfortably.
