Virat Kohli ‘very sensitive to criticism', once got ‘cold’ towards Sanjay Manjrekar at toss: ‘Gets to know what’s said'

Former India batter Sanjay Manjrekar claims Virat Kohli reads everything that one has to say about him.

Former India batter Sanjay Manjrekar claimed that Virat Kohli reads and hears everything that is said about him by cricket pundits. Kohli, one of the best batters to come out of India, has time and time again said that he doesn't listen to the outside noise, and it doesn't matter what people say about him. However, Manjrekar offered a contrary view, saying there would be times when Kohli would get “cold” towards him at the toss if he had said anything negative about him.

Raipur: Royal Challengers Bengaluru's Virat Kohli during an IPL game. (PTI)

Manjrekar, who has a knack for saying it as he sees it, also claimed that Kohli is pretty sensitive to criticism but added that if the former India captain heard anything negative about him, it spurred him on to get another century.

“That is very important to him (staying private). But somebody who is also very sensitive to criticism. Yeah, yeah, 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.

“So he's one of those 1st 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,” he added.

Speaking of Kohli, the batter started off the IPL 2026 season with a bang for RCB, but recently, he registered back-to-back ducks against the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) and the Mumbai Indians.

Finest Test captains

Kohli might have retired from Test cricket, but his impact on the longest format is still widely discussed by pundits and fans. Kohli, 37, is the best Indian Test captain, statistics-wise, and Manjrekar feels his greatness will be felt in the years to come.

The right-handed batter retired from Test cricket last year, ahead of the squad announcement for the England tour, and fell short of the 10,000-run mark, a feat he had dearly wanted to achieve.

“The thing to like about him as captain was when things went flat, when he knew he wouldn't be able to get a wicket on the pitch that he had in the bowling resources. He would still make sure the team was driven and that there was the energy of the field, and he made them believe things would happen. I think that was his great strength,” said Manjrekar.

“I've always believed that the team wears the look of the captain. Under Virat Kohli, every player had to be like Virat Kohli. If anyone went out there and looked a little flat, they would not be playing the next test match. So everybody responded to Virat's aggression,” he added.

Despite Kohli's recent success in ODIs for India, Kohli has maintained that he wouldn't be coming out of his Test retirement despite fans urging him to do so.