Sanjay Manjrekar questions Virat Kohli’s Test legacy, says 46 is not a great batter’s average

Former Indian batter Sanjay Manjrekar has raised concerns regarding Virat Kohli’s drop in Test numbers. Kohli hasn’t been at his absolute best in the red-ball format in the last five years and thus his Test average has slipped to 46.85, which Manjrekar thinks is not great.

The Indian veteran batter could only score 190 runs in five Test matches on the Australian tour at a below-par average of 23.75. Kohli scored 417 runs in 10 Test matches in 2024 at an average of 24.52. Barring 2023, Kohli has averaged less than 29 in Test matches since 2020.

Before 2020, Kohli was averaging around 55 but his numbers in the pristine format of the game have significantly dropped. Manjrekar reckons the upcoming England tour will be crucial for Virat Kohli and he must look to turn the tables in his Test career.

Manjrekar wrote for Hindustan Times, “The tour to England will be the most important tour Virat has ever been on. It will decide the legacy he leaves behind. Virat’s Test batting average now is 46. That’s not a great batter’s average.”

“Virat himself would hate to be remembered by fans as a great one-day batter, because as we discussed one-day cricket is THE last place you will find batting excellence. By batting in the right position, Tendulkar too enjoyed plundering runs in ODIs, but he is revered because he also had 51 Test hundreds.”

The cricket analyst said Test performances hold a lot of importance when it comes to rating cricketers as greats.

“Despite its disconnect with new age cricket fans, Test performances are where cricketers are crowned as greats, and it’s right here that Virat has slipped. After that unbelievable series with the bat in Australia in 2015 and England in 2018, his weakness outside off that he has not been able to get rid of for almost 12 years has cost him his greatness,” Manjrekar wrote in the same column.

Kohli will be seen in action in the upcoming IPL for RCB.