Sanjay Manjrekar made a scathing attack on Indian legend Virat Kohli. The former cricketer believes that Kohli walked away from Test cricket without having attempted a fightback in the format after the five dismal years of his career between 2020-25. Manjrekar also believes he chose to play the easiest format in ODIs as a top-order batter.
Virat Kohli retired from the longest format of the game after a poor stint in the format for nearly five years. Kohli, who averaged 31, the lowest ever in his Test career during the WTC cycles, stepped away from red-ball cricket after back-to-back disastrous losses against New Zealand and Australia.
Kohli announced his retirement from the longest format of the game ahead of the start of the WTC 2025-27 cycle against England in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy. Sanjay Manjrekar, a former cricketer, now feels that Kohli turned his back on cricket without facing the hardships.
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Virat Kohli walked away without a fightback in Test cricket – Sanjay Manjrekar
As Virat, who once claimed the Test format to be the format he loves playing the most since it tests a batter’s temperament alongside their skill sets, decided to retire from the format without trying to overcome his flaws in the format in recent years, former Indian batter Sanjay Manjrekar has some strong complaints.
“When Joe Root attains heights in Test cricket, my mind goes to Virat Kohli. He has walked away from Test cricket, and it’s unfortunate that in the five years that he struggled before retiring, he didn’t quite put his heart and soul into finding out the problems as to why he was averaging 31 for 5 years,” pointed out Sanjay Manjrekar.
Manjrekar also cited his supreme fitness as one of the key factors why a fightback from him was expected. Considering his fitness, Kohli could have continued the format for more than 2 years in the future.
“The fact that he is so fit, supremely fit, makes you feel more that he could have continued the fight you need to get back into form and even if he was left out of a series, he could have maybe gone down to First-Class cricket, played in Australia and England and more matches in India and tried to make another comeback.”
“Watching Joe Root, Steve Smith getting hundreds disappoints me,” says Manjrekar
The former Indian batter revealed that whenever he witnesses Virat Kohli’s peers in Joe Root and Steve Smith, making a name for themselves in the format and getting those hundreds, he misses Kohli in the format.
“I just feel sad that people like Joe Root, Steve Smith, and Kane Williamson are really making a name for themselves in Test cricket,” said Manjrekar, disappointed that Kohli left too early when the other three of the Fab Four continued scoring runs in Test cricket.
“But yeah, when Joe Root gets hundreds or gets runs or Steve Smith or Kane Williamson, my mind goes to Virat Kohli with a sense of disappointment and a little bit of sadness,” opined Manjrekar.
“ODIs are the easiest format for a top-order batter,” Manjrekar’s massive opinion on Kohli’s choices
Sanjay Manjrekar made an audacious claim on Virat Kohli’s continuation of international cricket with the One-Day format. Kohli has been in excellent form in the 50-over format and has managed to score his 53rd ODI century in the last series against South Africa.
“It would have been okay if Virat Kohli had actually walked away from cricket. But that he has chosen to play one-day cricket actually disappoints me more, because this is a format that, for a top-order batter, I’ve said before, is the easiest format.
However, Manjrekar feels that ODIs are pretty easy for a top-order batter, and the challenging formats are Test and T20 cricket, which Kohli has already turned his back on.
“The format that really tests you is first obviously Test cricket, and T20 cricket has its different challenges.”
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