Sanjay Manjrekar and Virat Kohli (Photo by ICC/PTI) NEW DELHI: One of the greatest batsmen of all time, Virat Kohli may often say that he ignores outside noise, but former India cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar believes that the star batsman pays close attention to the criticism leveled at him.Speaking on Sportstar’s Insight Edge Podcast, Manjrekar said that Kohli, who is currently playing in the Indian Premier League (IPL) for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), sometimes turned cold towards him during the toss after hearing negative comments about his performances.
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Jamie Overton opens up on CSK’s comeback and bowling roleAccording to Manjrekar, Kohli is “very sensitive to criticism” and usually knows “what is being said about him”.Manjrekar said: “So he’s one of the first guys who kept saying, you know, we don’t care what people say… but he’s also very sensitive.” He added that the criticism can actually motivate Kohli, saying it could “motivate him to get another big hundred”.Kohli has a mixed season of IPL 2026 with Royal Challengers Bengaluru. He started off hard but recently suffered back-to-back ducks against Lucknow Super Giants and Mumbai Indians.Manjrekar also praised Kohli’s leadership in Test cricket, calling him one of India’s greatest captains. He explained how Kohli kept his energy levels high even when conditions were difficult for the bowlers. “What I liked about him as a captain was when things didn’t go his way… he would still make sure the team was going,” Manjrekar said.
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He also spoke about Kohli’s aggressive influence on his teammates, adding, “Under Virat Kohli, every player had to be like Virat Kohli.” Kohli retired from Test cricket before India’s tour of England last year.
