Following India’s first home ODI series loss to New Zealand, Sanjay Manjrekar dismissed the defeat as insignificant, saying bilateral series are warm-ups. He urged fans not to overreact and focus on the World Cup performance.
Former India batter turned commentator Sanjay Manjrekar downplayed the Men in Blue’s historic ODI series defeat to New Zealand. Team India’s 37-year dominance over New Zealand in the ODI series on home soil came to an end after the defeat in the third and final match, which was the series decider at the Holkar Cricket Stadium in Indore, with the Kiwis winning by 41 runs to clinch the three-match series 2-1.
Virat Kohli played a brilliant 124-run knock, while Harshit Rana (52) and Nitish Kumar Reddy (53) made vital contributions to give Team India a glimmer of hope of chasing the 338-run target before the lower order collapse dented the chances, as the Men in Blue were eventually bowled out for 296, falling 42 runs short of the target and handing the Kiwis a historic first ODI series win on Indian soil.
Team India’s ODI series defeat to New Zealand has put the head coach Gautam Gambhir-led management under immense scrutiny, as fans and former players questioned selection decisions and frequent changes to the playing XI, suggesting a lack of stability and clarity in strategy contributed to the loss.
‘What Really Matters is World Cup’
As the criticism continues to grow over Team India’s first ODI series defeat to New Zealand on home soil, former cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar shrugged off the Men in Blue’s historic loss. In a video posted on his Instagram handle, Manjrekar stated that the bilateral series matters less than the World Cup, adding that the Champions Trophy is not as significant in the modern game.
Manjrekar urged the fans not to overreact to the ODI series defeat to New Zealand, calling it a minor setback and emphasizing that such bilateral series are warm-up matches and preparations for major tournaments.
“India losing to New Zealand in the ODI series recently, no big deal. Honestly, in 50-over cricket today, what really matters are the World Cup, not even the Champions Trophy, because if you try and remember the last three Champions Trophy winners, you’ll struggle to remember those. But World Cup, you’ll remember each winner from the time the tournament started,” the former India cricketer said.
“So yes, if you want to have your setbacks and your poor performances, get it out of the system now in time for the next World Cup. You’ve qualified for the World Cup. So these bilateral series are scheduled, but they’re mostly, I would say, warm-up games, and one shouldn’t read too much into it,” he added.
The ODI World Cup is one of the most prestigious ICC tournaments, where Team India won twice in 1983 and 2011, and missed out on the opportunity to win for the third time despite reaching the final in the 2023 edition of the marquee tournament. The recently concluded ODI series against New Zealand was India’s first of six bilateral series in the 50-over format this year, marking their preparations for the 2027 World Cup.
‘Let’s Not Make a Big Deal About This Loss’
The former Indian cricketer turned commentator stressed that such bilateral series are minor and only serve as experimentation and practice ahead of the ODI World Cup, as results are soon forgotten. Sanjay Manjrekar further emphasized that losses in such matches should not be overanalyzed, as the real focus is on performing well in the World Cup semifinals and finals, not the league stages.
“In fact, the importance of these bilateral ODI series has become such that two weeks later, no cricket fan also remembers the result of what happened in that bilateral one-day series. It’s all about the World Cup, and form coming into the World Cup, really. When you look at it, it’s not a big indicator of who’s going to win the World Cup. It’s all about playing well during the World Cup.” Manjrekar further said in an Instagram video.
“Have fun, play these bilateral series, and get some idea as to what your squad is going to be like. But let’s not read too much into these performances. It’s all about the World Cup. And come the World Cup, India should be up and running.
“So 50 overs cricket for me now is only the World Cup, and as an Indian, former India player and Indian cricket supporter, even in the World Cup, it’s not about that long sort of qualification phase, the league stage, it’s about the semis and finals. In a nutshell, that’s 50-over cricket for me, marked up until the next World Cup. Let’s not make a big deal about this loss, shall we?” he concluded.
After a three-match ODI series against New Zealand, the Men in Blue will play 15 more ODI matches across five bilateral series this year before playing crucial matches, including Athe sia Cup ODI, in 2027, in build upto the ODI World Cup, which will take place in South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Namibia.
Team India’s next ODI assignment is the three-match series against Afghanistan in June, followed by another three-match away series against England in July.