Former Indian batter Sanjay Manjrekar has expressed his disappointment after Virat Kohli’s decision to retire from Test cricket. Manjrekar said he is surprised that Kohli has decided to continue playing ODI cricket, which is the easiest format for any top-order batter.
Kohli amassed 9230 runs in 123 Test matches at an average of 46.85, including 30 centuries. In the last 69 Test innings since 2020, Kohli has managed only 2028 runs at an average of 30.72, including just three centuries.
Before 2020, Kohli accumulated 7202 runs in 141 Test innings at an average of 54.97, including 27 centuries.
The right-hander scored 190 runs in five Test matches on the Australian tour and was continuously troubled by the outside off-stump line, getting dismissed while trying to play through the covers.
Meanwhile, the likes of Joe Root, Steve Smith and Kane Williamson have continued to excel in Test cricket.
Sanjay Manjrekar said on his Instagram handle, “I just feel sad that people like Joe Root, Steve Smith and Kane Williamson are really making a name for themselves in Test cricket. It was okay if Virat Kohli had just walked away from cricket and retired from all cricket. But that he has chosen to play One day cricket actually disappoints me more. Because this is a format for a top-order batter is the easiest format.”
“As Joe Root attains new heights in Test cricket, my mind goes to Virat Kohli. He has walked away from Test cricket and it’s unfortunate that in the five years 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 Test cricket. That is for another time as to what he could have done.”
Manjrekar said Kohli could have continued to fight for his form in the red-ball version even if he was left out of a series.
“The format that really tests you is first, Test cricket and then T20 cricket has it’s 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 to get back into form even if he was left out of a series. He could have maybe gone down to first class cricket and played in England or Australia or more matches in India and tried to make another comeback. That would have made me truly happy,” said Manjrekar (via the aforementioned source).
Kohli will be seen in action in the three-match ODI series against New Zealand.
