Former India cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar claimed that Virat Kohli shares a strained relationship with head coach Gautam Gambhir and chief selector Ajit Agarkar, following the ace batter’s comments about needing to prove a point he made on the recent RCB podcast.
Speculations of rift have been doing rounds since last year, when Kohli announced his shock retirement from Test cricket right before the England tour.
The rumours intensified after Kohli was questioned about his aspirations for the 2027 World Cup on the podcast, and he made rather fiery remarks about the team "environment" and specific "people," implying underlying tension.
In response to Kohli's comments, Manjrekar pointed out the former captain's declining Test averages over the last five-year stretch (2020-2025).
Kohli's Test batting average dropped significantly from near 60 to 46.85, a dip that Manjrekar believes merits self-reflection rather than only blaming the surrounding environment.
“Environment. Now, it's important because I don't think anybody will be looking to read between the lines here. So I might as well be the bad guy here. So, environment, what is he trying to say? It's very easy to see. When he was with Ravi Shastri as captain and when he was a player as well, Ravi Shastri was right behind him, motivating him and backing him no matter what, a bit too much. It changed. Rahul Dravid left, Gautam Gambhir came in. So that's the environment that he's talking about, where it changed and he may not have felt as comfortable as he did before. A certain chairman of selectors also came in, a guy who has his own view, and is a very self-respecting, strong individual. His plans for Indian cricket differ from those of the selectors previously. So that is the environment he is talking about,” Manjrekar said on Sportstar’s Insight Edge podcast.
“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. 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,” he added.
As Kohli sets his sights on the 2027 World Cup, Manjrekar urged him to deliver in high-pressure matches, emphasizing that veteran batter’s value will ultimately be judged by his performance in the semi-finals and finals rather than just group-stage runs.
“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. MS Dhoni’s 91 not out at the World Cup final will always be remembered. Viv Richards in the final, Ricky Ponding in the finals. Aravinda de Silva,” Manjrekar stated.
“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,” he remarked.
