New Delhi: Former India cricketer and commentator Sanjay Manjrekar has expressed deep disappointment over Virat Kohli’s decision to retire from Test cricket while continuing to play One Day Internationals (ODIs), saying the choice leaves him with a sense of sadness, especially when he watches contemporaries like Joe Root and Steve Smith continue to dominate the longest format.
Manjrekar reacts to Kohli’s Test retirement
Sanjay Manjrekar’s comments came in the wake of Joe Root’s continued success in Test cricket, with the England batter scaling new milestones in the format. Reflecting on Root’s achievements, Manjrekar said his thoughts inevitably turned to Virat Kohli, who retired from Test cricket last year after a prolonged lean patch.
“Well, as Joe Root attains new heights in Test cricket, my mind goes to Virat Kohli. He’s walked away from Tests,” Manjrekar said in a video shared on his Instagram account. He added that Kohli’s decision felt particularly unfortunate given his stature and love for red-ball cricket.
Kohli, who retired from Test cricket at the age of 37, ended his career with 9,230 runs from 123 matches at an average of 46.85. Despite being one of the celebrated ‘Fab Four’ of modern cricket alongside Root, Steve Smith and Kane Williamson, Kohli fell short of the 10,000-run milestone in Tests — a goal he had openly spoken about earlier in his career.
Struggles in the latter phase of Test career
Manjrekar pointed out that Kohli’s struggles in Test cricket over the final five years of his career played a role in his decision to step away, but felt that the former India captain could have fought harder to rediscover his form.
Between 2020 and 2025, Kohli’s Test average dipped sharply to around 31, a significant drop from the lofty standards he had set earlier, when he averaged over 50 across formats before the Covid-19 pandemic. During this period, Kohli endured a prolonged century drought and faced repeated dismissals to deliveries outside the off stump — a technical flaw that became increasingly evident, particularly in overseas conditions.
In his final Test series in Australia, Kohli managed just 194 runs across 10 innings, with more than half of those runs — 100 — coming in a single innings in the Perth Test. Manjrekar noted that Kohli’s inability or unwillingness to fully address these issues before retiring was disappointing.
“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,” Manjrekar said.
Disappointment over prioritising ODIs
What appears to have upset Manjrekar the most is not Kohli’s retirement from Test cricket alone, but his decision to continue playing ODIs. According to the former batter, had Kohli retired from all formats, the decision would have been easier to accept.
“It was okay if 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,” Manjrekar remarked. He described ODIs as the “easiest format” for a top-order batter, especially one of Kohli’s calibre.
Kohli has continued to enjoy considerable success in ODIs, recently scoring 302 runs in a three-match series against South Africa and following it up with an unbeaten 74 in Australia. However, Manjrekar feels these achievements do not compensate for what Kohli could have further accomplished in Test cricket.
Comparison with the Fab Four peers
Manjrekar drew a stark comparison between Kohli and his Fab Four peers, noting that Root, Smith and Williamson have continued to enhance their legacies in Test cricket. Root recently notched up his 41st Test century and is closing in on Sachin Tendulkar’s all-time record for most Test runs, while Smith continues to score heavily in high-pressure series like the Ashes.
“Kane Williamson, Joe Root, Steve Smith are really making a name for themselves in Test cricket,” Manjrekar said, adding that Kohli, once seen as the leader of the Fab Four, has now slipped behind in the red-ball race.
Fitness and missed possibilities
Manjrekar also highlighted Kohli’s exceptional fitness as a reason why his Test retirement feels premature. He suggested that Kohli could have taken alternative routes to revive his form, including playing domestic first-class cricket or county cricket overseas.
“Because he’s so fit, supremely fit, you feel even more that he could have maybe continued his fight,” Manjrekar said. He added that even a temporary exclusion from the national side or a return to first-class cricket in challenging conditions like Australia or England could have paved the way for a comeback.
A sense of sadness
While acknowledging that retirement decisions are deeply personal, Manjrekar concluded by admitting that Kohli’s absence from Test cricket leaves a void. “Obviously, that’s his call, his choice. But yeah, when Joe Root gets hundreds or Steve Smith, Kane Williamson score runs, my mind goes to Virat Kohli with a sense of disappointment and a little bit of sadness,” he said.
Conclusion
Virat Kohli’s Test retirement has sparked mixed reactions, but Sanjay Manjrekar’s remarks underline a broader sentiment shared by many cricket fans — that one of India’s greatest red-ball batters may have walked away before fully exhausting his potential in the format he once championed. While Kohli continues to shine in ODIs, the enduring legacy of his Test career remains a subject of debate and reflection.