Former Team India cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar shared his opinion about Virat Kohli and how he reacts to external criticism. Manjrekar said Kohli pays close attention to everything said and written about him, despite the former India captain often claiming publicly that he ignores outside opinion and noise.
Kohli has scored 379 runs at an average of 379 runs in 11 matches. 42.11 and strike rate 163.36 For Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in IPL 2026. He recorded back-to-back ducks Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) and Mumbai Indians (MI). However, he is the highest run scorer for the team so far in the tournament.
key points
- Sanjay Manjrekar claimed that Virat Kohli is very sensitive to criticism despite publicly saying otherwise.
- Manjrekar revealed that Kohli sometimes behaved “coldly” towards him after hearing criticism.
- Manjrekar also praised Kohli’s aggressive leadership style during his Test captaincy era.
I would find him very cold at the toss – Sanjay Manjrekar on Virat Kohli
Speaking on the Sportstar Insight Edge podcast, Sanjay Manjrekar Shared his personal experiences with Virat Kohli during broadcasting duties. Majrekar said that whenever negative comments or criticism came up about Kohli, he noticed a remarkable change in his behaviour.
“It’s very important for him (to remain private). But he’s a guy who is also very sensitive to criticism. Yes, yes, I think he realizes what is being said about him, because I have had experience with him as a captain and a player.”
Manjrekar said, “And all of a sudden one day I’d find her tossing or any time she was really cold and I’d think, maybe she heard something that was being said about her.”
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Motivate him to score the next big century – Sanjay Manjrekar on Virat Kohli
The former batsman also pointed out the difference between Virat Kohli’s public comments on ignoring outside opinion and his reactions to criticism behind the scenes. However, Manjrekar said that such criticism can also motivate Kohli to perform better on the field.
“So he is one of the first people who kept saying, you know, we don’t care what people say and why they say it, so he is also very sensitive. But maybe it is also a good thing that if he hears that kind of criticism or something negative, it will motivate him to score the next big century,” Manjrekar said.
The 37-year-old retired from Test cricket last year before the squad was announced for India’s tour of England. Kohli ended his red-ball career short of the 10,000-run milestone, while remaining India’s most successful Test captain statistically.
Everyone responded to Virat Kohli’s aggression – Sanjay Manjrekar
Sanjay Manjrekar praised the energy and intensity brought by Kohli as India’s Test captain. The former cricketer said Kohli constantly put pressure on the team to maintain aggression and belief, even on flat pitches where the bowlers got little assistance.
Manjrekar said, “The thing to like about him as a captain was that when things went flat, when he knew that he was not going to get wickets on that pitch with the bowling resources that he had. He still made sure that the team was driven and there was energy on the field, and he made them believe that things would happen. I think that was his big strength.”
He said, “I have always believed that the team looks like the captain. Under Virat Kohli, every player has to be like Virat Kohli. If someone goes out there and looks even a little flat, he will not be able to play the next Test match. So everyone responded to Virat’s aggression.”
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