Virat Kohli Quit Instead Of Fixing His Flaws, Chose To Play 'Easiest Format': Sanjay Manjrekar
As Joe Root slammed his 41st Test hundred, Sanjay Manjrekar questioned Virat Kohli's decision to quit the longest format.
A sharp critic over the years, former India cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar revisited Virat Kohli's decision to hang up his boots in Test cricket, after seeing England star Joe Root smash his 41st hundred in the format. Together with Root, Steve Smith and Kane Williamson, Virat Kohli formed the 'Fab 4' in the longest format. But Kohli is the only player from the quartet to have quit Test cricket. Manjrekar, in a video on his Instagram account, questioned Kohli's decision to quit Tests instead of fixing his flaws, while continuing to play the 'easiest format' ODIs.
"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.
Explaining his stance, Manjrekar said that he had no problem if Kohli had quit all three forms of the game. But the fact that he chose to stick with the 'easiest format' ODIs but refused to fix the mistakes he was making in red-ball cricket baffled him.
"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."
"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," added Manjrekar.
Concluding the video, Manjrekar said that Kohli's decision leaves him disappointed and sad, as the likes of Smith, Williamson, and Root continue to score big runs in the format.
"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?"
England Cricket Team
Australia Cricket Team
India Cricket Team
Virat Kohli
Steve Smith
Joe Root