Overview
- Manjrekar said Kohli 'walked away' from Tests and did not put his heart and soul into fixing a five-year slump in which his average hovered around 31.
- He contrasted Kohli’s exit with Joe Root, Steve Smith and Kane Williamson continuing to pile up Test runs, noting Root’s 41st Test hundred and Smith’s latest Ashes century.
- Kohli retired from Tests in May 2025 with 9,230 runs in 123 matches at an average of 46.85, short of the 10,000-run mark he once targeted.
- The ex-batter highlighted Kohli’s recurring dismissals to balls outside off stump, including during a poor final tour of Australia where Scott Boland troubled him repeatedly.
- Despite stepping away from red-ball cricket, Kohli has excelled in ODIs recently, including 302 runs in three matches against South Africa and an unbeaten 74 in Australia.