Virat Kohli’s brother, Vikas Kohl, has sparked criticism over the former India captain’s choice to quit from Test cricket. The comment came shortly after analyst Sanjay Manjrekar questioned Kohli’s Test retirement, comparing it to Joe Root and Steve Smith’s continued success in the Ashes.
The dispute arose when Manjrekar, reacting to Root and Smith’s outstanding Test performances, voiced sadness in Kohli’s decision to retire from red-ball cricket. He argued that the 37-year-old could have showed more resolve in dealing with his problems rather than quitting. Manjrekar’s statements soon drew notice. Vikas, who frequently defends his brother from criticism, responded with a post on Threads.
“SEEMS LIKE LOGON KI DAAL ROTI NAHI CHALTI. BINA VIRAT KOHLI KA NAAM LIYE HUE, (It seems like people cannot run their houses without taking Virat Kohli’s name),” said Vikas.
Virat Kohli just walked away from cricket: Manjrekar
In his Instagram video, Manjrekar noted that Kohli averaged 31 in Tests throughout the last five years of his career and questioned why he did not devote his heart and soul to rectifying technical deficiencies. He went on to say that Kohli’s decision to continue playing ODIs rather than retiring totally was more disheartening.
“Well, as Joe Root attains new heights in Test cricket, my mind goes to Virat Kohli. He’s walked away from Tests, 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 five years in Tests. That is for another time as to what he could have done. But I just feel sad that people like Joe Root and Steve Smith, Kane Williamson are really making a name for themselves in Test Cricket. It was okay, Virat Kohli just walked away from cricket, retired from all cricket. But that he’s chosen to play one-day cricket actually disappoints me more, because this is a format which, for a top-order batter, I’ve said before as well, is the easiest format,” Manjrekar said.
But the seasoned campaigner has come in good stead in 2026, bossing domestic cricket at the Vijay Hazare Trophy for Delhi before carrying that knack into international ODIs. His 131 and 77 against Andhra and Gujarat respectively proved that he continues to have an unfulfilled hunger for runs.
