‘My Player of the Match would've been a bowler’ - Sanjay Manjrekar opines Virat Kohli did not deserve POTM award

The T20 World Cup 2024 ended in ecstasy for the Indian team. The Men in Blue remained unbeaten throughout the tournament and defeated South Africa in the summit clash to clinch the title. There were many performances that stood out in the final. 

From the knock of Heinrich Klaasen to Jasprit Bumrah’s spell, the performance that made the most impact was the knock of ace batter Virat Kohli. Opening the innings for his side, Kohli scored 76 runs in 59 deliveries, helping India post a total of 176 runs on the board. 

His performance also saw him receive the Player of the Match award in the post-match presentation ceremony. However, former Indian cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar was not happy with the same. 

Also Read: Virat Kohli is a powerhouse of energy on the ground, was a leader in his own way: Suryakumar Yadav

Manjrekar opined that the POTM should have been a bowler and that Kohli’s knock was saved by the bowlers putting in a good showing in the second innings of the crucial game. 

"By playing that innings, Hardik Pandya, one of their most devastating batters, had just two balls to face. So I thought India's batting was good, but Virat Kohli had potentially played an innings that would've put India in a tight corner. And it almost proved to be that, before these guys' bowlers came in the end,” Manjrekar was quoted as saying by NDTV.

"India were in a losing position, 90 percent winning chances (for South Africa). The complete turnaround actually saved Virat Kohli's innings because he played virtually half the innings with a strike-rate of 128. My Player of the Match would've been a bowler because they actually took the game from the jaws of defeat and won it for India," he added.

Hardik Pandya was the highest wicket-taker for his side in the second innings with three crucial wickets to his name. Jasprit Bumrah and Arshdeep Singh took two wickets each, whereas Axar Patel struck once as India limited South Africa to a total of 169 runs to win the game by seven runs.