Former National Cricket Team batsman Sanjay Manjrekar, commenting in the first Test between India and England, made a cruel excavation in the modern-day great Virat Kohli.
Sanjay Manjrekar dropped his comment on-air when Yashsvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul were dominating the England bowling attack in Headingly in Leeds on Friday 20 June.
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“We know about a former batsman …”
Kohli is absent from the ongoing test series between India and England as a month before the beginning, the batting superstar announced his retirement from the longest format of the game.
In his absence, newly appointed Test skipper Shubman Gill has occupied the number 4 and has given Sai Reformson his number 3 position with KL Rahul and Yashsvi Jaiswal.
India lost the toss in the Test series opener and was invited to bat first. The early pair of Rahul and Jaiswal performed a batting masterclass against Chris Woakes, Bridon Cars, Jose Tongue and Ben Stokes and sent India for a good start.
Rahul and Jaiswal were mostly unrelated and the first innings of the Leeds Test became the first early pair to register the fifty-plus opening stand, as Graeme Smith and Alviro Peterson scored 120 runs in 2012.
Rahul and Jaiswal’s brilliant batting show impressed Sanjay Manjrekar, who bombed the pair enriched, but also took an opportunity to dig at Virat Kohli. Sanjay Manjrekar highlighted how Jaiswal and Rahul left the off-stump very well and said that a former batsman (Virat Kohli) would have taken out the delivery.
“The delivery outside the off stump, full, has been left alone. Jaiswal has done so. Whatever is correct, it has been picked in the stump, it has gone. Whatever is wide, he has seen to score. KL Rahul has touched a delivery or attempted to play the same delivery, which has been fully completed.
He said, “What you are seeing is being made by these two batsmen, and my hat is with him. We know about a former batsman who left after that delivery and put himself in trouble. But not both of them,” he said.
In particular, the off-stump weakness outside Virat Kohli frightened him in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 as he pursued delivery on the fourth and fifth stump lines on eight occasions.
Watch: Sanjay Manjrekar makes cruel excavation in Virat Kohli
Sanjay Manjrekar – “We know about a former batsman who left after that delivery and put himself in trouble”
There is no way, he said only on the wind about Kohli that the man has retired. Please leave him alone now#INDVSENG #Viratkohli #Sanjaymanjreeker pic.twitter.com/g8tx46g4xt
– BoyLoveScrick (@BoyLoveScket) June 20, 2025
He has the technique of survival in challenging testing situations – Sanjay Manjrekar
Sanjay Manjrekar also told the inexperienced Indian batting unit that they all got a good technique to bat under challenging circumstances. He said:
“This is why I believe this is a young batting line-up. But when you look at their batting techniques, they have the technique of survival in challenging testing situations. Sai Sudarshan will also have a T20 sensation and will protect well. The order below, Rishabh Pant is good defense.
“Jadeja as well. Karun Nair, I am not sure how he will go. But both of them have shown that, for openers, they are ideal with their defensive technology.”
