'A former batter would've...': Sanjay Manjrekar’s on-air remark on Virat Kohli's outside-off stump struggles goes viral

The day 1 of the India vs England Test at Headingley brought big milestones for India’s young stars, Yashasvi Jaiswal and debutant Test captain Shubman Gill.

But even as India put up a strong 359/3 on the board, much of the off-field chatter was triggered by former cricketer and commentator Sanjay Manjrekar’s on-air comment that many fans interpreted as a fresh dig at Virat Kohli.

While praising Jaiswal and KL Rahul for their shot selection, Manjrekar said on-air, “So a lot of what you're seeing is being created by these two batters. And my hats off, there's another example of it we know of. A former batter would have gone after that delivery and got himself into trouble, but not these two. And that's why I believe.”



Social media quickly lit up, interpreting “a former batter” as a not-so-subtle reference to Kohli, whose well-known struggles with balls outside off-stump have led to multiple dismissals in the slips in recent years.



Manjrekar’s comment reopened a long-running discussion on Virat Kohli’s off-stump issues, a weakness that critics have repeatedly pointed to, particularly during India’s tours of England and Australia. Kohli, who retired from Test cricket in May, continues to face scrutiny, even in absence.

This isn’t the first time Manjrekar has commented on Kohli’s technique. "One important reason why Virat’s average has slipped to 48 now, is the unfortunate weakness outside off. But more crucially his adamance to not try another way to tackle it," Manjrekar had said.



Manjrekar has also previously called out Kohli for not being able to find a way to tackle that delivery. “Lots of greats have gone through a rut, but not in the fashion where they've got out to one particular shot and the great has not been able to find a way. There's another quick point I want to make if you see that dismissal and you've got to feel for Virat Kohli. There were occasions when he was trying to leave balls outside the off on this occasion, after many years, you see that he's actually deep inside the batting crease. Now that is a very rare thing for Virat Kohli to do."

Friday’s remark came just weeks after Kohli retired from Test cricket, closing a 14-year-long career with 9,230 runs, 27 centuries, and a lasting legacy that also drew criticism during its later phase. In his final years, Kohli’s tendency to poke at deliveries outside off became a pattern, especially visible during the 2024–25 Australia series.

Meanwhile, on the field, India’s younger generation delivered. Gill, leading the team for the first time in a Test match, scored a composed 127* and joined an elite list of Indian captains to score a century on Test captaincy debut, including Sunil Gavaskar and Virat Kohli.

Jaiswal’s 101 and Pant's 65 helped India dominate the opening day.