‘A former batter would have chased the ball outside off stump’: Was Kohli ‘cooked’ by Manjrekar during live commentary?

During the first Test between India and England at Headingley on June 20, former cricketer and commentator Sanjay Manjrekar made remarks during the 21st over of India's innings that appeared to be an indirect dig at Virat Kohli. At the time, Indian openers KL Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal were showing strong discipline at the crease, with India at 77/0. Manjrekar praised their approach, particularly how they were leaving deliveries outside the off-stump — a key strategy in handling England's seam attack.

He commented on the importance of shot selection, noting how both batters refrained from chasing balls outside the off-stump, contributing to the impression that the pitch was flat. Manjrekar highlighted how Jaiswal had only driven balls pitched on the stumps and left wide deliveries untouched.

The commentary took a more controversial turn when Manjrekar observed KL Rahul leaving a delivery on the sixth stump line and stated, “We know of a former batter that would have gone after it and got himself into trouble but not these two.” This was widely interpreted as a veiled reference to Virat Kohli, who recently retired from Test cricket. The remark was likely alluding to Kohli’s known struggles with deliveries outside off-stump, particularly during India’s previous tour of Australia, where he was dismissed repeatedly while attempting to drive such balls.

The subtle critique sparked discussion on social media, especially as Rahul was ironically dismissed soon after while playing a wide delivery. Manjrekar’s comments were seen as a pointed contrast between current openers' discipline and Kohli's past vulnerabilities. (With inputs from Agencies)