'Does not belong here': When Manjrekar questioned Kohli's place

Former India cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar’s reaction to Virat Kohli’s Test retirement has brought back memories of a comment he made more than a decade ago, when Kohli’s place in the Indian Test side was under question during the 2011–12 tour of Australia.In Januray 2012, after India’s heavy loss in the second Test in Sydney, Manjrekar suggested giving Virat one more Test just to be sure "he does not belong here". The remark came at a time when Kohli had managed modest scores in his first two Tests of the series and faced growing scrutiny over his spot in the XI.More than a decade later, Manjrekar is again speaking about Kohli, this time expressing disappointment over his decision to retire from Test cricket. The former batter said it was saddening to see Kohli walk away from the format while contemporaries Joe Root, Steve Smith and

Kane Williamson

continue to perform consistently in Test cricket.Posting on his official Instagram account, Manjrekar said the decision made him feel sad, particularly when he watches players like Root, Smith and Williamson continue to score runs and shape their Test careers.Manjrekar added that despite his struggles in recent years, Kohli still had the fitness and desire to attempt a return to form. He felt Kohli could have tried more options before deciding to retire from Test cricket.

"I just feel sad that people like Joe Root and Steve Smith, Kane Williamson are really making a name for themselves in Test Cricket. It was okay, Virat Kohli just walked away from cricket, retired from all cricket. But that he's chosen to play one day cricket actually disappoints me more, because this is a format which for a top-order batter, I've said before as well, is the easiest format," he added.This is not the first time Manjrekar has publicly commented on Kohli’s career.Kohli had a difficult start to his Test career during India’s tour of the West Indies. He scored 4 and 15 on debut in Kingston, followed by a duck in Kingstown. Those performances did not secure his place immediately.He then made two half-centuries in the home series after being left out of the tour of England, which helped him earn selection for the Test series in Australia later that year.After two matches in Australia, Kohli’s place again came under scrutiny.

He scored 11 and 0 in the Melbourne Test, followed by 23 and 9 in Sydney. With India losing the second Test by an innings and 68 runs, selection questions intensified before the third Test at the WACA.After the second Test, Manjrekar wrote on Twitter: "I would still drop VVS [Laxman] & get Rohit [Sharma] in for next Test. Makes long term sense. Give Virat one more test just to be sure he does not belong here."

Kohli was retained for the third Test. India were dismissed for under 200 in both innings, but Kohli top-scored in each.

He made 44 in the first innings and 75 in the second before being caught behind off Peter Siddle.Rahul Dravid was the only other Indian batter to score more than 14 runs in the match, while seven players failed to reach double figures. After the Test, Kohli addressed the criticism in a press conference, saying: "I don't know why people were even after me after the first game."In the following Test, Kohli scored his maiden Test century. He again top-scored and batted with the tail to reach the hundred with one wicket remaining. That innings became the first of his 30 Test centuries, placing him fourth on India’s all-time list.That phase marked the beginning of Kohli’s long Test career, after he chose to ignore calls for his exclusion.