‘He chose the easiest format’: Manjrekar takes a dig at Virat Kohli’s Test retirement

Dubai: Former India cricketer and commentator Sanjay Manjrekar has taken a sharp dig at Virat Kohli following his retirement from Test cricket, expressing disappointment that the former India captain chose to step away only from the longest format rather than from all forms of the game.

Manjrekar’s remarks came amid renewed discussion around excellence in Test cricket after Joe Root scored his 41st Test century on Day 1 of the fifth Ashes Test. The hundred took Root to joint third on the all-time list of Test centuries alongside Ricky Ponting, with only Sachin Tendulkar (51) and Jacques Kallis (45) ahead of him. A day later, Steve Smith responded with a century of his own — his 37th in Tests and 13th in the Ashes, second only to Don Bradman.

“As Joe Root attains new heights in Test cricket, my mind goes to Virat Kohli,” Manjrekar said on social media. “He’s walked away from Tests, and it’s unfortunate that in the five years he struggled before retiring, he didn’t quite put his heart and soul into figuring out why he was averaging 31 in that period.”

Manjrekar added that while Kohli’s retirement was his personal choice, he felt it would have been more understandable had the batter chosen to retire from all formats instead of continuing in limited-overs cricket.

“It would have been okay if Virat Kohli had walked away from cricket entirely,” Manjrekar said. “But the fact that he has chosen to play one-day cricket disappoints me more, because for a top-order batter, that is the easiest format.”

According to Manjrekar, Test cricket remains the ultimate examination of a player’s skill and temperament, while T20 cricket poses a different set of challenges. He also pointed to Kohli’s exceptional fitness as a reason why the decision felt premature.

“He’s supremely fit, which makes you feel he could have continued the fight — even if that meant being left out for a while, playing first-class cricket, touring Australia or England again, or trying to make another comeback,” he added.

Kohli, one of the most prolific batters of the modern era, retired from Test cricket in May 2025, ending a 14-year red-ball career in which he scored over 9,000 runs and 30 centuries. His retirement has come at a time of transition for Indian cricket, with several senior players stepping away from certain formats and increased focus on emerging talent.

Manjrekar concluded by admitting that watching contemporaries like Root, Smith and Kane Williamson continue to thrive in Test cricket fills him with a sense of sadness regarding Kohli’s exit.

“When Joe Root or Steve Smith scores hundreds, my mind goes to Virat Kohli with disappointment and a little sadness,” he said. “He cared deeply about Test cricket, and that’s why his departure feels abrupt — even though, in the end, it was his choice.”