Manjrekar’s alarming ‘judgment of length’ verdict for Virat Kohli ahead of Australia Tests: ‘Not as great it used to be’
Gone are the days when Virat Kohli used to be a run-machine. The high scores have dried up, and the right-handed batter finds himself under severe pressure. The former India captain, who just recently turned 36, scored a little above 90 runs in the three-match series against New Zealand, and now it needs to be seen whether he can change his fortunes around. Former India batter Sanjay Manjrekar has now given his take on Kohli’s lean patch, saying his judgement of length has gone down, and it isn’t as great as it used to be.
Kohli has just managed one half-century and averages just 21.33 across five Tests against Bangladesh and New Zealand since the beginning of 2024. The right-handed batter, has registered just two Test centuries since 2020, and his form is a big concern, ahead of the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
Manjrekar said that Kohli now has started to play off the front foot a lot, and his backfoot game has suffered, as a result.
“His judgment of length, whether it’s spin or pace, has gone down. It’s not as great as it used to be. That comes back to him. He was one of India’s best players of spin, and played a lot off the back foot. Now there’s a lot of front-foot play in everything he does, so his perception of length has not been great. That’s a reason he doesn’t have the kind of numbers he’s had in the past,” Sanjay Manjrekar told Sydney Morning Herald.
“Once he’s on the front foot, the balls he used to cut and pull off the back foot he was defending. He’s just made his own life more difficult. Clearly, in that series, because the conditions were such [that] he wasn’t feeling confident or hopeful, he wasn’t trusting his defence, he was slightly nervous of mind and uncertain,” he added.
‘Clarity is not 100 per cent’
Kohli, who has 29 Test tons to his name, is desperately searching for form, and he needs to put his hand up, if India are to register a hat-trick of wins, Down Under. The first Test of the five-match series will be played in Perth, and Kohli would be required to leave a lot of balls outside the off stump.
“The clarity at the moment has not been 100 per cent. That comes with pressure, a lack of runs, and he’s not a young 25- to 27-year-old any more,” said Manjrekar.
“This will suit him. Turning pitches, low bounce, the ball coming slowly off the pitch, everything is not quite as ideal. The way he batted in South Africa against a good attack – South African pitches are even more difficult than Australian pitches because there’s lateral movement right through. He handled that really well,” he added.
Giving an advice to Kohli, Manjrekar said, “I would say forget about the home series. South Africa is quite recent. I would urge people to have a look at his numbers there. He looked India’s best player by far that trip. I’m looking that as evidence of what we can expect from Virat in Australia.”
Kohli has received a ‘King’ like welcome Down Under, and Australian media are predicting the upcoming series to be his last Down Under.
The 36-year-old has played 13 Tests in Australia, scoring 1,352 runs at an average of 53.14. On Australian soil, he has registered 4 half-centuries and 6 tons.
