Kamal Ghorui
Former India cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar has come out in support of head coach Gautam Gambhir after India’s surprising ODI series loss at home to New Zealand. The defeat raised many questions among fans and experts, but Manjrekar believes the reaction has been blown out of proportion.Speaking in a video shared on his official Instagram account, Manjrekar asked fans to take a step back and look at the bigger picture. According to him, bilateral ODI series do not carry the same importance as major global tournaments. He feels this is especially true in modern-day cricket.
“Honestly, in 50-overs cricket today, what really matters are the World Cups and not even the Champions Trophy,” Manjrekar said. He explained that World Cups leave a lasting impact, while other tournaments fade quickly from memory. “If you try and remember the last three Champions Trophy winners, you’ll struggle to remember those. But the 50-over World Cup, you’ll remember each winner from the time the World Cup started.”Manjrekar added that setbacks in smaller series should not cause panic. In fact, he believes such losses can sometimes help teams reset and improve before bigger events. “So, yes, if you want to have your setbacks and poor performances, get it out of the system now, in time for the next World Cup,” he said.He went on to downplay the overall value of bilateral series, calling them more like preparation games. “These bilateral series are scheduled, but they’re mostly warm up games and one shouldn’t read too much into them,” Manjrekar explained. He stressed how quickly such results are forgotten. “In fact, the importance of these bilateral series has become such that, two weeks later, no cricket fan also remembers the result of what happened in that bilateral ODI series.”Manjrekar also challenged the idea that current form always decides success at World Cups. “It’s all about the World Cups and form coming into the World Cup is really not a big indicator of who’s going to win the World Cup,” he said.
