Sanjay Manjrekar launched a scathing attack on Indian legend Virat Kohli. The former cricketer believes that Kohli walked away from Test cricket without attempting a fight in the format after five disappointing years of his career between 2020-25. Manjrekar also believes that he chose to play in the easiest format, ODI, as a top-order batsman.
After poor performance for almost five years, Virat Kohli retired from the longest format of the game. Kohli, who averaged 31, which was the lowest so far in his Test career during the WTC cycle, walked away from red-ball cricket after consecutive disastrous defeats 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. Former cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar now feels that Kohli turned his back on cricket without facing any difficulties.
Virat Kohli went into Test cricket without any struggle – Sanjay Manjrekar
As Virat, who once claimed that the Test format is the format he loves playing in the most as it tests the batsmen’s skills as well as their temperament, decided to retire from the format without trying to overcome his flaws in the format in recent years, former Indian batsman Sanjay Manjrekar has some strong complaints.
Sanjay Manjrekar told, “When Joe Root achieves heights in Test cricket, my attention turns to Virat Kohli. He has moved away from Test cricket, and it is unfortunate that in the five years he struggled before retiring, he did not put his heart and soul into finding out the problems as to why he averaged 31 for 5 years.”
Manjrekar also cited his supreme fitness as one of the major factors as to why he was expected to fight. Considering his fitness, Kohli could continue in this format for more than 2 years in the future.
“The fact that he is so fit, extremely fit, makes you feel that he could have continued to fight the necessary battle to get back into form and even if he had been ruled out of a series, he could probably have gone into first-class cricket, played in Australia and England and played more matches in India and tried to make another comeback.”
“It frustrates me to see Joe Root, Steve Smith score centuries,” says Manjrekar.
The former Indian batsman revealed that whenever he sees Virat Kohli’s teammates Joe Root and Steve Smith making a name for themselves and scoring centuries in this format, he misses Kohli in this format.
“I’m just sad that guys like Joe Root, Steve Smith and Kane Williamson are really making a name for themselves in Test cricket,” Manjrekar said. He was disappointed that Kohli left too early while the other three players of the Fab Four kept scoring runs in Test cricket.
Manjrekar said, “But yes, when Joe Root scores a century or scores runs or Steve Smith or Kane Williamson, my mind goes towards Virat Kohli with disappointment and a little sadness.”
Manjrekar’s broad opinion on Kohli’s choice is, “ODIs are the easiest format for a top-order batsman.”
Sanjay Manjrekar made a bold claim on Virat Kohli continuing international cricket with the ODI format. Kohli has been in great form in the 50-over format and managed to score his 53rd ODI century in the last series against South Africa.
“It would have been fine if Virat Kohli had actually walked away from cricket. But he has chosen to play ODI cricket, which really disappoints me more, because it is a format which, as I have said before, is the easiest format for a top-order batsman.
However, Manjrekar feels that ODIs are too easy for a top-order batsman and the challenging formats are Test and T20 cricket, which Kohli has already turned his back on.
“The format that really tests you is obviously Test cricket first and foremost, and T20 cricket has its own challenges.”
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