3 min readMay 12, 2026 04:40 PM IST
Former Indian cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar believes Virat Kohli is extremely sensitive to criticism, claiming the star batter reads and hears everything said about him. Manjrekar shared incidents where he received a “cold” response from Kohli at the toss after making negative remarks about him.
“Kohli is somebody who is also very sensitive to criticism. I think he gets to know what is being said about him because I have had an experience with him as a captain and as a player. Suddenly one day I would find him very cold at the toss or whatever, and I would think, perhaps he heard something that was said about him,” Manjrekar said on Sportstar’s Insight Edge Podcast.
Manjrekar said that while Kohli claims not to care about what people say or think about him, the former India captain reacts to criticism or negativity through his performance on the field.
“So he is one of those first guys who kept saying, ‘We don’t care about what people say and why.’ But he is also very sensitive. Maybe it is a good thing as well, because if he hears that kind of criticism or something negative, it spurs him on to get that next big hundred,” he added.
Manjrekar praised Kohli’s energy on the field, which he believes helped boost the team’s morale.
“The thing to like about him as captain was that when things went flat, when he knew he would not be able to get a wicket given the pitch or the bowling resources, he would still make sure the team was driven and that there was energy on the field. He made them believe that things would happen. I think that was his great strength,” said Manjrekar.
“I have 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 everyone responded to Virat’s aggression,” he added.
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For Manjrekar, the legacy Kohli left behind was the way he took on opponents, both with performance and verbally.
“Taking on the opposition, not just verbally but with performances as well. After that, there was a clear indication that the more he got riled up, the better a player he became. That is the real legacy that Virat Kohli leaves for me,” he said.
