Former India cricketer and analyst Sanjay Manjrekar has delivered a candid assessment of Virat Kohli’s decision to step away from Test cricket, suggesting that the batting great did not fully confront his red-ball struggles before calling time on the format. According to Manjrekar, Kohli’s Test form dipped significantly after 2020, and instead of fighting his way back, he chose to move on while continuing in what he termed the “easier” ODI format.

Manjrekar felt Kohli could have shown greater resolve in addressing the technical and mental challenges that affected his Test batting during the latter phase of his career. The former India batter noted that Kohli averaged just over 30 in Tests for nearly five years before retiring, a stark contrast to the lofty standards he had set earlier in his career.

With contemporaries like Joe Root, Steve Smith and Kane Williamson continuing to flourish in the longest format, Manjrekar admitted that Kohli’s absence from Test cricket feels increasingly significant. Root’s recent surge in form, in particular, has highlighted what Indian cricket has lost with Kohli stepping away from red-ball cricket.

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“As Joe Root continues to scale new heights in Test cricket, my mind goes back to Virat Kohli,” Sanjay Manjrekar said in a video shared on Instagram. “It is unfortunate that during the five years when he struggled in Tests, he didn’t quite put his heart and soul into finding out why his average had dropped to 31. That is the part that makes me sad.”

Manjrekar stressed that he would have understood Kohli’s decision better had the former India captain retired from all formats at once. Instead, the choice to continue playing ODIs left him disappointed, as he believes the 50-over format offers fewer challenges for elite top-order batters.

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“Test cricket is the ultimate examination of a player’s technique, temperament and perseverance,” Sanjay Manjrekar added. “For a top-order batter, one-day cricket is the easiest format. That’s why his decision to walk away from Tests, but hold on to ODIs, is what disappoints me the most.”

The remarks have sparked fresh debate around Kohli’s Test legacy and what might have been had he chosen to battle through his lean years in red-ball cricket.