IND vs NZ: Shubman Gill Defends Virat Kohli over Sanjay Manjrekar’s ‘ODIs Are Easiest Format’ Remark

Team India captain Shubman Gill hit back at Sanjay Manjrekar’s claim that ODIs are the “easiest format,” seen as a dig at Virat Kohli, saying India would have won every World Cup since 2011 if that were true, stressing the format demands resilience.

Team India ODI and Test captain Shubman Gill took an indirect dig at former batter turned commentator Sanjay Manjrekar’s ‘ODIs are the easiest format’ remark against Virat Kohli ahead of the first ODI of the three-match series against New Zealand at the Kottambi Cricket Stadium in Vadodara.

Sanjay Manjrekar sparked controversy by stating that Virat Kohli chose to walk away from Test cricket rather than working on fixing his flaws, comparing the Indian star batter to England talisman Joe Root during the recently concluded Ashes 2025-26 series, and expressed his disappointment over Kohli choosing the ‘easiest format’ to continue his career at the highest level.

Recently, Manjrekar clarified his remark, stating that many players only queue to bat high in one-day games because the format lacks the sustained challenge of Test cricket. Though the former India batter did not take names, it was widely interpreted as a direct reference to Virat Kohli, who retired from Tests and continues to play in ODI cricket. His remark was met with criticism from fans and cricket enthusiasts, who defended Kohli’s achievements across formats.

‘I Don't Think Any Format is Easy’

Speaking at the press conference on the eve of the first ODI against NZ in Vadodara, Shubman Gill was asked about Sanjay Manjrekar’s ‘ODIs are the easiest format’ remark. Responding to the controversy, Gill stated that no format is easy, adding that India would have won every ODI World Cup since 2011 if one-day cricket were the easiest format to play.

India's ODI captain highlighted the resilience and determination required to win major ICC tournaments, including ODI World Cups.

“The Indian cricket team hasn’t won a World Cup since 2011, so if it was that (easy), we would be winning (the) World Cup every second year (edition)," Gill said.

“It’s easy to say that, but I don’t think any format is easy. It requires a lot of resilience, a lot of persistence, and a lot of determination to be able to win big ICC tournaments," he added.

Virat Kohli retired from T20Is following India’s T20 World Cup triumph in 2024 and called time on his illustrious Test career ahead of the England tour in May 2025. After having retired from T20Is and Tests, Kohli has been solely focusing on ODI cricket, intending to extend his illustrious international career till the 2027 World Cup, which is likely to be his swansong before drawing the curtains down on his international journey.

Virat Kohli in Impressive Form ahead of the NZ ODI series

Virat Kohli is set to play his first of the 18 ODI matches of Team India this year in the series opener against New Zealand at the Baroda Cricket Association (BCA) Stadium in Kottambi, Vadodara. The star batter has been in impressive form following his retirement from Tests and T20Is.

In the ODI series against South Africa in December 2025, Kohli aggregated 302 runs, including two centuries and a fifty, at an average of 151 in three matches. The star batter carried on his momentum into the Vijay Hazare Trophy, where he scored a century and a fifty, marking his remarkable comeback to India’s domestic List-A tournament after 15 long years, with his last appearance coming in 2010.

In the last five matches, including the Sydney ODI against Australia, the three-match ODI series against South Africa, and his two appearances in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, Virat Kohli has amassed 684 runs, including three centuries and as many fifties, at an average of 228.00, highlighting his sensational form ahead of the 2027 World Cup.

In his ODI career, Virat Kohli has amassed 14557 runs, including 53 centuries and 76 fifties, at an average of 58.46 in 308 matches.