After a season defined by a run of scores that kept Royal Challengers Bengaluru within reach of the playoffs, Virat Kohli hit a sudden, jarring acceleration: back-to-back ducks at a time when his team can least afford to stumble. This rare turbulence in form provided the perfect backdrop for Sanjay Manjrekar to offer the posthumous death of Kohli’s DNA.
Speaking on Sportstar’s Insight Edge Podcast, the former India cricketer dissected the cynicism that often clouds Kohli’s on-field persona. Manjrekar maintains that the fire that burns in the 37-year-old today is not a modern gadgetry, but the same raw combustion that ignited his journey in the dusty age-group bowls of Delhi.
It’s a point of constant debate among fans and even within the inner sanctum of the game. While millions adore his unbridled passion, the sheer consistency of his intensity – celebrating a routine wicket in an IPL match with the same primal roar as a World Cup win – leads some to question whether it’s a performance tailor-made for 4K cameras. However, Manjrekar is quick to put down the skeptics who see Kohli as a man playing to the gallery.
“A lot of people, even the players, believe he’s doing it for the camera,” Manjrekar said.
“I beg to differ because this is a guy I’ve seen at under-19 level as well. That’s the way he plays the game and that’s what drove him, even as a batsman. When he’s angry at the opposition, he just plays better.”
It is this interesting energy, a furious, unyielding pulse, that defies the natural aging process. Conventional wisdom suggests that as a player’s hair turns gray and his trophy cabinet fills, adrenaline should give way to tempered stoicism.
Kohli ignored the remark.
“I thought at this age he would have calmed down a bit. But I see him taking catches, pulling runs and just having too much energy,” Manjrekar said.
#RCBvsMI
That last 3 balls absolute climax heart beat breath held match.
It’s a complete cocktail mashup of madness and an electrifying celebration of Virat Kohli explaining what the match is all about. pic.twitter.com/yvF9ty6GRv— Ajay (@Aj32812313) May 10, 2026
SENSITIVE SUPERMAN
Perhaps the most revealing aspect of the discussion touched on the discrepancy between Kohli’s public defiance and his private awareness. During his career Kohli was the author of the “we don’t listen to outside noise” mantra. Manjrekar’s personal experiences suggest a more vulnerable reality.
“He’s one of those early guys who kept saying, you know, we don’t care what people say … so he’s also very sensitive (to criticism),” Manjrekar said.
He remembered times when the atmosphere had suddenly cooled during the shuffle, leading him to suspect that a stray remark about the air had reached the captain’s ears.
But Manjrekar sees this sensitivity not as a weakness but as a strategic advantage.
“Maybe it’s also a good thing that when he hears that kind of criticism or something negative, it just encourages him to get another big hundred.”
Manjrekar also reflected on the fiery era of the leader and noted how Kohli’s personality became the blueprint for the Indian team.
“The team wears the look of the captain,” he said.
During Kohli’s reign, ‘flat’ body language was the cardinal sin. If a player did not reflect this manic energy, they risked being eliminated. This cultural shift required every player to basically “have to be like Virat Kohli”.
The timing of these findings is poignant. In IPL 2026, Kohli’s bat went cold briefly. The twins may have provided fresh ammunition that will work in RCB’s favor as they enter the latter part of the group stages.
Surprisingly, Kohli was not in the race for the Orange Cap. While he started the season on a high. he is currently outside the top 10 in the IPL 2026 batting charts with 379 runs in 11 matches.
Kohli will be raring to go when RCB take on Kolkata Knight Riders in their 12th match of the season in Raipur on Wednesday, May 12.
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Issued by:
Akshay Ramesh
Published on:
12 May 2026 12:30 PM IST
