Manjrekar Claims Kohli Thrives Away from Home, Suggesting Virat 'Not Enjoying Batting in India'

In the ongoing Chennai Test against Bangladesh, Virat Kohli strode out to bat in the second innings with his trademark confidence. Despite India losing two quick wickets, Kohli appeared composed as he played some exquisite strokes and handled the opposition bowlers with ease. However, a crucial moment arose when a delivery from Mehidy Hasan surprised him, momentarily disrupting his rhythm.

The ball turned into the right-hander and on the looks of it, seemed to hit Kohli’s pad, leading to a loud LBW appeal. The umpire raised his finger, and though Kohli paused for a moment, he decided against using the Decision Review System (DRS).

What followed later added to Kohli and Team India's frustration. Replays showed that the ball had, in fact, clipped the edge of Kohli's bat before striking his pad. This revelation left experts questioning why the India batter hadn’t reviewed the decision. The former captain’s misjudgment led to his premature dismissal for just 16 runs in the second innings.

Former batter Sanjay Manjrekar weighed in on the incident, expressing sympathy for Kohli’s unfortunate dismissal. Taking to X, Manjrekar suggested that Kohli’s decision to not use the review might have stemmed from his selflessness, wanting to save the DRS for his teammates in case of future tight calls. However, in this case, the call backfired, as Kohli’s early departure contributed to India losing three crucial wickets.

“Felt bad for Virat today. He obviously didn’t think he had hit it. Just wanted to know from Gill if ball was hitting stumps. Despite Gill encouraging him to go for the review anyway he walked away dejected wanting to keep the 3 reviews for his team,” Manjrekar said.

The former India batter further suggested that Kohli may not be enjoying batting as much in India as he does in overseas conditions. Since his century against Bangladesh in the 2019 Kolkata Test, Kohli has only added one three-figure score in his next 12 home Tests.

“He's not enjoying batting in India as much. Like Tendulkar, I think he just feels more at home away from home. We saw that in South Africa... when he played, he was by far India's best batter. That's fine, better to get runs away from home than at home,” Manjrekar told ESPNCricinfo.