IND vs ENG: Sanjay Manjrekar compares Virat Kohli to MS Dhoni, fans roast commentator

Former Indian cricketer-turned commentator Sanjay Manjrekar has hit out captain Virat Kohli and asked him to learn the secrets of the trade from his predecessor, MS Dhoni. The Men in Blue skipper has been in the news after backing opener KL Rahul throughout his recent patchy form on the eve of the India vs England 1st ODI. Rahul registered three single-digit scores in four T20Is vs England, before being dropped in the decider, which India won to clinch the series 3-2. 

IND vs ENG: Sanjary Manjrekar slams Virat Kohli for 'nonsense talk', compares him to Dhoni 

Virat Kohli made headlines after he suggested that he wouldn't let 'outsider talk' affect his team's peace when quizzed about KL Rahul's recent form. The Indian skipper quoted the famous Bollywood song, "Kuch toh log kahenge" from the Bollywood movie, Amar Prem, featuring Rajesh Khanna and Sharmila Tagore in his presser,  and gave his backing to the struggling Punjab Kings star, ahead of the IND vs ENG ODI series. In KL Rahul absence, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma opened the batting, allowing Suryakumar Yadav to bat at No.3, which set up the Men in Blue's huge total. 

Sanjay Manjrekar, known for his controversial take on things, was quick to lash onto Virat Kohli, and suggested that the 32-year- old should learn more from his predecessor MS Dhoni. The former Indian cricketer turned broadcaster took to Twitter and wrote that Kohli must learn to accept the "age-old reality" of "public reacting to a public performance". Manjrekar stated that Virat Kohli should show maturity and calmness like MS Dhoni while handling the criticism.

Naturally, the commentator's tweet did not sit well with the Indian cricket fans, who slammed the 55-year-old for his take. Netizens backed the Men in Blue skipper and said that he was only backing KL Rahul and talking about maintaining the team's harmony. Further, many suggested the comparison with MS Dhoni was unnecessary and should let the 32-year-old "be himself". Many claimed that Manjrekar also had an agenda against KL Rahul, and never truly praised him even when he was in good form prior to the India vs England series. 

India vs England 1st ODI: KL Rahul picked, Krunal and Prasidh get debuts 

Virat Kohli has backed KL Rahul and the Karnataka batsman was picked as the keeper-batsman for the first ODI against England. The Men in Blue will be batting first after visiting skipper Eoin Morgan won the toss and decided to bowl first in Pune. Kohli also handed the likes of Prasidh Krishna and Krunal Pandya were handed their debut. Kuldeep Yadav also returned to the playing XI on Tuesday. 

(Image Courtesy: Virat Kohli, Sanjay Manjrekar Twitter)