Sanjay Manjrekar took a cheeky dig at Virat Kohli, while summarising the Shubman Gill-led Team India's performance in the ongoing 1st Test against England in Leeds. Following the Test retirements of Kohli and Rohit Sharma, fans and experts had expressed concerns over the team's batting in the lead up to the series. However, Gill, Rishabh Pant, KL Rahul and others have performed exceedingly well in the absence of the big stars. Captain and Gill slammed centuries in the first innings, while KL Rahul top-scored for the team in the second innings with a remarkable 137.
If that wasn't enough, Pant became the first Asian batter to score hundreds in both the innings of a Test match in England. Taking to social media, Manjrekar said that the young Indian team has silenced its doubters, while taking an indirect dig at Kohli.
"Cricket is a by far the no 1 sport in India. There is tremendous incentive for young kids to take up cricket. Hence 'What after fab 4, or what after Virat' is an irrational fear," Manjrekar wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
However, fans blasted Manjrekar for dragging Kohli's name for no reason.
The Indian team made a historic record during their Leeds Test against England, as for the first time, they registered a total of five centuries in a Test match.
The Test at Leeds has been a run-fest for Team India so far, with their lead well beyond 300 runs. In the first innings, triple treat of centuries from Yashasvi Jaiswal (101 in 159 balls, with 16 fours), skipper Shubman Gill (147 in 227 balls, with 19 fours and a six) and Rishabh Pant (134 in 178 balls, with 12 fours and six sixes) powered India to 471.
After England's strong reply that left India's lead to just six runs, KL Rahul, who missed out on a fifty in the first innings, got his big one too, while Pant became India's first wicketkeeper-batter with twin Test tons, scoring 118 in 140 balls, with 15 fours and three sixes.
It is the sixth time ever that this milestone has been achieved by a team in Test cricket.
(With ANI Inputs)