“His problems outside off has taken its toll” - Sanjay Manjrekar’s massive claim on Virat Kohli’s Test retirement ahead of ENG vs IND 2025 series

Former Indian batter Sanjay Manjrekar believes Virat Kohli's struggles to overcome his apparent outside off-stump weakness against the red ball ultimately led to his Test retirement. Kohli took the cricketing universe by surprise, announcing his retirement from Tests on Monday, May 12.

Despite his stellar overall Test record with over 9,000 runs and 30 centuries, Kohli endured a torrid last few months. The 36-year-old managed only two 50+ scores in his previous 19 Test innings with an average of under 23.

Kohli got dismissed through the same mode of nicking deliveries outside the off-stump in eight of the nine innings in the recent Australia Test tour.

Reflecting on Kohli's retirement in his column for the Hindustan Times, Manjrekar wrote:

"The decision to quit Test cricket must not have been easy, I wonder if in some way the constant effort to find a solution to his problems outside off has taken its toll."

He continued:

Not once did I get the impression that he wasn’t trying to plug that massive hole in his defensive game; try and try he did but in the end, as we saw in Australia when he got out right at the end of the series chasing a delivery outside the off-stump, his reaction was not of disappointment but of resignation.

Kohli averaged only 30.72 in his last 39 Tests, starting from 2020, with only three centuries in 69 innings. His overall average dropped from the mid-50s during the 2010s to 46.85 at the end of his Test career.

"Only a guy who cares for Test cricket can achieve it" - Sanjay Manjrekar

Sanjay Manjrekar hailed Virat Kohli for finishing his Test career with 30 centuries, highlighting the ace batter's care for the format. The veteran batter finished as India's fourth leading run-scorer and with the fourth most Test centuries, behind only Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, and Sunil Gavaskar.

"Thirty Test hundreds is a huge achievement and only a guy who cares for Test cricket can achieve it. Virat cared for Test cricket. I am not sure how many superstars will do the same in the future. Virat may well be the last," said Manjrekar (via aforementioned source).

Batting aside, Kohli also captained Team India in 68 Tests between 2014 and 2022, and the side won an incredible 40 matches. Under him, India dominated the ICC Test rankings as the No.1 side for most of his captaincy stint.