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Former India cricketer-turned-commentator Sanjay Manjrekar has said that Virat Kohli is 'very sensitive' when it comes to criticism. Manjrekar recalled an incident when Kohli gave him the cold shoulder at the toss after he made a comment about him.
“That is very important to him (privacy). But somebody who is also very sensitive to criticism. He, I think, gets to know about what’s being said about him, because I’ve had an experience with him as a captain and player. And suddenly one day I would find him very cold at the toss or whatever, and I would think, perhaps he heard something that was being said about him," Manjrekar said on Sportstar’s Insight Edge Podcast.
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But, Manjrekar reckons that Kohli uses criticism to motivate himself and then score another century.
“So he’s (Kohli) one of those first guys who kept saying, you know, we don’t care about what people say and why, so he’s also very sensitive. But maybe it’s a good thing as well that if he hears that kind of criticism or something negative, that will just spur him on to get that next big hundred," Manjrekar said.
Kohli continues to prove himself in ODIs and IPL
Kohli has retired from T20Is and Tests but continues to play in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 and intends to be on the flight to South Africa for ODI World Cup 2027. After a dull two games on Australia tour, Kohli has found form. He proved himself in the home ODI series against South Africa and New Zealand. He also answered the call to play domestic cricket and played well in Vijay Hazare Trophy 2025-26.
Kohli needs big knock to stay in orange cap race
Currently, Kohli is one of the contenders for the orange cap despite two consecutive ducks. His teammate, Krunal Pandya, has also expressed excitement about Kohli’s comeback after two disappointing outings. He backed Kohli to regain his form and deliver for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB). Ahead of the game against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in Raipur, Kohli is 13th in the list of top run-scorers this season. From 11 innings, he has scored 379 runs at an average of 42.11 and strike rate of 163.36. Earlier, Manjrekar had criticised Kohli's strike rate as well which has improved drastically this season.
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