New Delhi: One of the greatest batsmen of all time, Virat Kohlimay often say he ignores the noise outside, but the former Indian cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar Trust the star batsman to pay close attention to the criticism leveled at him.Speaking on Sportstar’s Insight Edge podcast, Manjrekar said that Kohli, who is currently playing for Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in the Indian Premier League (IPL), sometimes becomes “cold” towards him after hearing negative comments about his performance.
According to Manjrekar, Kohli is “very sensitive to criticism” and usually understands “what people think about him”.“So he was one of the first people who kept saying, you know, we don’t care what people say… but he was also very sensitive,” Manjrekar said. He added that the criticism might actually motivate Kohli and said it could “motivate him to get his next hundred”.Kohli spent the 2026 IPL season in a hybrid format with Royal Challengers Bangalore. He started strong but has had back-to-back starts against Lucknow Supergiants and Mumbai Indians recently.Manjrekar also praised Kohli’s leadership in Test cricket, calling him one of India’s greatest captains. He explained how Kohli maintained high energy levels despite the difficult situations faced by the bowlers. “The best thing about him as captain is that when things are going well… he still makes sure the team has momentum,” Manjrekar said.He also spoke about Kohli’s positive influence on his teammates and added: “Under Virat Kohli, every player has to be like Virat Kohli.” Kohli retired from Test cricket last year ahead of India’s tour of England.
