Sanjay Manjrekar has questioned the timing and intent of Virat Kohli’s decision to withdraw from the longest format of the game. He was disappointed with Kohli’s decision to walk away rather than focus on the technical deficiencies that had crept into his game over the years.
While respecting Kohli’s prominence and impact, Sanjay Manjrekar believed the former India captain left Test cricket too soon and abruptly, especially when compared to his contemporaries Joe Root and Steve Smith.
“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,” Manjrekar said on his Instagram handle.
The frustration stems from what many consider unfinished business. Virat Kohli was expected to chase the 10,000-run milestone in Tests. At 37, he retired from Test cricket last year, bringing an illustrious 123-Test career to a close. Kohli accumulated 9230 runs at an average of 46.85, including 30 centuries. Despite those impressive figures, the latter part of his career was marked by inconsistency.
His last Test series against Australia saw him score only 194 runs in 10 innings, 100 of which came in the series opener in Perth. What was more frustrating was that practically all of his dismissals followed a similar pattern, with him chasing balls outside the off stump and edging them to the wicketkeeper or the slip cordon.
Kohli’s priority of ODIs was another point of contention for Sanjay Manjrekar. While Kohli remains a formidable force in 50-over cricket, Manjrekar described ODIs as the “easiest format” for someone of Kohli’s caliber.
“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.”
Sanjay Manjrekar
Virat Kohli’s struggles in the longest format
From 2020 to 2025, Kohli’s Test cricket difficulties got more prominent and obvious. He went through a dry spell, averaging only 31 points a game. As a result, by the time he retired, his Test average had dropped to 47 from well over 50 at one point.
However, his love for Test cricket was crucial, with the batter citing to the format as his favourite on numerous occasions. While Kohli’s contemporaries continue to score runs, he has restricted himself to one format, which has hurt Manjrekar the most.
“The format that really tests you is first, obviously, Test Cricket, and T20 cricket has its different challenges. The other thing is because he’s so fit, supremely fit, you feel even more that he could have maybe continued his fight, you know, to get back into form, even if he was left out of a series, he could have maybe gone down to first-class cricket, played in Australia, England, more matches in India, tried to make another comeback.”
Sanjay Manjrekar
Despite the criticism, Sanjay Manjrekar underlined that the final decision belongs with Kohli, noting that variables such as mental exhaustion, motivation, and personal priorities cannot be overlooked.
“That could have made me truly happy. Obviously, that’s his call, his choice. But yeah, when Joe Root gets hundreds or gets runs, or Steve Smith, Kane Williamson, my mind goes to Virat Kohli with a sense of disappointment and a little bit of sadness, because he cared so much for Test Cricket, didn’t he?”
Sanjay Manjrekar
