Following Joe Root’s promising form in the longest format of the game, former Indian cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar recalled Indian great Virat Kohli and claimed that Kohli should not have given up so quickly on the format he once loved and could have rather staged a fightback.
The Test format has once again gained popularity in recent times, and England’s Joe Root has been the irreplaceable king of the format. He has been the highest run-getter in WTC history and has been unstoppable in every season for England.
Steve Smith from Australia and Kane Williamson from New Zealand have also had their own good seasons, but Virat Kohli has averaged 31 in the last 5 years of his career. Kohli finally announced his retirement from the format in 2025.
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Sanjay Manjrekar brutally attacked Virat Kohli on his Test retirement
Following Kohli’s retirement, former Indian cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar went on to comment that the veteran Indian batter should have attempted a fightback instead of just turning his back on the longest format of the game.
Manjrekar also launched an extensive attack on the Indian batter, claiming that despite his remarkable fitness, he gave up too early on Test cricket, when his peers in England, Australia and New Zealand, who were part of the Fab-4, are still scoring runs with ease.
Manjrekar’s words were not taken lightly by the Indian fans, as they seemed infuriated by the scathing attack on their legend and the player intending to call him a coward, one of the most aggressive stars in the longest format of the game.
Virat Kohli’s brother launches a stinging attack on Sanjay Manjrekar
After the attack on Virat Kohli, Vikas Kohli, the elder brother of the Indian cricketer, has now responded with a tweet against Sanjay Manjrekar’s words. The Indian cricketer’s brother mocked Manjrekar, who has been attacked due to such audacious claims in the past.
Mocking the former Indian batter, Vikash Kohli wrote, “Seems like Logon ki Daal Roti nahi chalti….Bina Virat Kohli ka naam liye hue.”
Vikash bhaiya not in the mood to spare Sanjay Manjrekar.
He’s not holding back 🥶 pic.twitter.com/18w4b9ojPu
— Kohlistic🔥 (@Kohlistic18) January 7, 2026
His attack seemed a direct attack on the former player, trying to get some attention using Virat Kohli’s name. Virat is such an icon of world cricket that even his name can have a massive impact on viewers.
Virat Kohli is nearing 28000 international runs
Virat Kohli has retired from the Test and T20 formats of the game but continues to feature for India in the 50-over format. A true veteran of the format, Kohli is the second-highest run-scorer in the format and the highest century getter in the history of the format.
Kohli, who is just a few runs away from the 28000 run mark in international cricket, would also be taking the least number of innings to reach the landmark, as he still has 19 innings to spare. Another 42 runs would also take him past Kumar Sangakkara to be the second-highest scorer in international cricket, only behind Sachin Tendulkar.
Kohli would have an opportunity to level the records in the upcoming series against South Africa, where India will play three ODI matches starting from the 11th of January.
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