Virat Kohli had so many times in the past said that he doesn’t listen to the outside noise, and it doesn’t matter what people say about him. However, former India batter Sanjay Manjrekar said the legendary batter reads and hears everything that is said about him by cricket experts.
Manjrekar gave an example where there have been times when Kohli would get “cold” towards him at the toss if he had said anything negative about him.
Manjrekar as a cricket commentator and expert is not known to sugarcoat things and said Kohli is sensitive to criticism and there have been instances where a negative comment had triggered him to score another big hundred.
“That is very important to him (staying private). But somebody who is also very sensitive to criticism. Yeah, yeah, he, I think, gets to know about what’s being said about him, because I’ve had an experience with him as a captain and player. And suddenly one day I would find him very cold at the toss or whatever, and I would think, perhaps he heard something that was being said about him,” Manjrekar said on Sportstar’s Insight Edge Podcast.
“So he’s one of those first guys who kept saying, you know, we don’t care about what people say and why, so he’s also very sensitive. But maybe it’s a good thing as well that if he hears that kind of criticism or something negative, that will just spur him on to get that next big hundred,” he added.
Although Kohli has retired from Test cricket, his contribution to the format continues to be a major talking point among fans and experts. Kohli remains India’s most successful Test captain in terms of numbers, and Manjrekar believes people will realise his true greatness even more in the coming years.
The star batter retired from Test cricket last year before India announced its squad for the England tour. Kohli finished his career just short of the 10,000-run milestone, a landmark he had always hoped to achieve. There has also been calls from fans urging him to come out of Test retirement, but Kohli said he won’t revert his decision.
“The thing to like about him as captain was when things went flat, when he knew he wouldn’t be able to get a wicket on the pitch that he had in the bowling resources. He would still make sure the team was driven and that there was the energy of the field, and he made them believe things would happen. I think that was his great strength,” said Manjrekar.
“I’ve always believed that the team wears the look of the captain. Under Virat Kohli, every player had to be like Virat Kohli. If anyone went out there and looked a little flat, they would not be playing the next test match. So everybody responded to Virat’s aggression,” he added.
