Sanjay Manjrekar has weighed in on the speculation swirling around Virat Kohli, saying the batter appears to have an “uneasy” equation with Gautam Gambhir and Ajit Agarkar. The remarks follow Kohli’s comments on Friday, when he spoke on an RCB podcast about needing to “prove a point.” Since the previous year, talk of a rift has been persistent, especially after India’s most decorated Test captain announced his retirement from the format he has long cherished. The conversation has flared again as Kohli, when questioned about his motivation to feature in the 2027 World Cup, launched into a sharp response aimed at certain “people.”
Manjrekar then brought the focus back to performance, arguing that Kohli cannot avoid looking at what has happened in his Test record. He pointed to Kohli’s outcomes across a five-year window from 2020 to 2025, noting that his batting average slid from near the 60-mark down to 46.85. In Manjrekar’s view, Kohli was referring to the set-up around team selection—specifically the coach and selector combination—and he suggested that change in atmosphere is at the centre of the argument.
Expanding on his point, Manjrekar said the environment Kohli mentioned likely refers to the coach-selector pairing, and added that the numbers from the later stretch of his Test career do not support the idea that everything was simply “unfair.” He said Kohli’s average dropped to 31 over the final five years, a period in which centuries became scarce, run accumulation grew difficult, and his technique outside off stump showed little improvement.
To explain how the dynamics have shifted during the Gambhir-Agarkar phase, Manjrekar suggested it is reasonable that Kohli may feel uncomfortable, but insisted that the decline in Test returns must still be addressed. Speaking on Sportstar’s Insight Edge podcast, he described how Kohli’s outlook appeared different earlier when Ravi Shastri was involved—both as captain when Kohli played under him and as a constant presence in the dressing room, offering backing and encouragement. He then contrasted that with the post-Shastri period, saying Rahul Dravid’s exit paved the way for Gambhir’s entry, reshaping the overall feel. Manjrekar also highlighted the arrival of a selector chairman who, in his assessment, has strong convictions and a distinct plan for Indian cricket compared to those who came before.
“It happens to all of us when we are coming to the end of our careers, we start blaming a lot of other things for a problem that lies within,” Manjrekar said on the show, before challenging Kohli to look beyond the surrounding chatter. “All Virat has to do. Forget about the environment, forget about who wants you out or who doesn’t. Just look at your record in the last 5 years in Test cricket. Do you deserve to have an average of 31 in five years at the Test level? So we’re just failing, and you got a long rope as you deserve to get, and in Indian cricket and culture, you get the longest rope possible.”
Manjrekar’s expectations from Kohli
Manjrekar also discussed what he expects from Kohli in the 2027 50-over World Cup. If Kohli makes the trip to South Africa next year, it will be his fifth attempt at the tournament. He lifted the trophy during his first World Cup outing in 2011, but has not managed to add another title since. In 2023, Kohli came agonisingly close to rewriting history by setting a record for the most runs in a single edition, yet the knockout stage offered little reward. Manjrekar pointed out that while Kohli has often been consistent in the tournament, semi-finals have proven harsh.
He recalled that in both the 2015 and 2019 semi-final games, Kohli was dismissed for 1. Even though he struck his 50th ODI hundred against New Zealand in the 2023 semi-final and then followed it with a fifty in the final, India still could not finish the job. With that backdrop, Manjrekar said his expectations for Kohli at the next World Cup are shaped differently from the usual “run-scoring” focus.
“As far as 2027 World Cup is concerned. I think he is still good enough to be part of that tournament because it’s going to be physically fit. He’s worked hard at it. But it’s not about Virat Kohli getting a lot of runs in the World Cup, like in 2023, because, for somebody with his experience, skills, abilities, and stature, I want to see Indian players with big, iconic names do it in the finals. The semis and finals, to win the World Cup for India. Like some iconic players from countries have done,” Manjrekar added.
He cited examples from the sport’s history, mentioning MS Dhoni’s 91 not out in the World Cup final, along with Viv Richards and Ricky Ponting in their title-winning final performances, and also referenced Aravinda de Silva. Manjrekar’s central message was that the final stages matter most for someone of Kohli’s stature.
“So if Virat plays well in the 2027 World Cup final, I will ignore whatever he does in the lead-up to the knockout games. But if he can’t do it in the last two games, then all the opportunities given to him are wasted because that has to be the minimum expectation from somebody like a Virat Kohli,” Manjrekar concluded.
