'Rohit Sharma still has the big game, Virat Kohli doesn't' - Ex-India star’s brutal verdict

Former Indian cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar talked about Virat Kohli's innings against Bangladesh in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. He said that the batter's confidence is down, adding that he doesn't have the big game anymore.

India batter Virat Kohli had another poor outing and this surely now has become a cause of concern for the team. The batter scored a half-century in the last game against England, and it was expected that he would start the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 on high, but that wasn't the case.

Virat Kohli scored 22 runs off 38 balls against Bangladesh

Kohli, in the game against Bangladesh, walked out to bat after Rohit Sharma provided his team with a fiery start. It was expected that he would cash on that but the batter looked stuck on the crease. He took 35 balls to hit his first boundary, which speaks a lot about the struggles that he had.

Kohli didn't look settled against spinners as he batted in fear and hence couldn't score big. The batter was removed by leg-spinner Rishad Hossain as he managed 22 runs off 38 balls, which put India under a bit of pressure.

Virat Kohli's confidence is clearly down - Sanjay Manjrekar

Sanjay Manjrekar talked about Kohli, saying that the batter is in a tight corner and looks low on confidence. He pointed out that like Rohit Sharma, the batter doesn't have a big game. Speaking to ESPNCricinfo, he said:

"He's in a tight corner. Virat Kohli's confidence is clearly down. He wants to still show that he's up there for a fight. And I'm starting to see that maybe there is a little bit of bravado as well, but why not? You know, you can't be revealing what's inside you. Rohit Sharma still has the big game.

"He can step out and hit a guy in, you know, over extra cover or play short on pull and willing to, you know, take chances. Virat Kohli doesn't have the big game anymore. You've seen him occasionally play the big shot, but he can't act."

He's just trying to find some way that he can get a move on to the inning - Sanjay Manjrekar on Virat Kohli

Sanjay Manjrekar added that Kohli is trying too hard to get a move on his innings. He stressed that the opposition is well aware of his weakness against spinners as they immediately introduce spin when he comes out to bat, knowing the batter won't attack. He elaborated:

"He's just trying to find some way that he can get a move on to the inning," he said. "And what you see there is, when he comes into bat, the spinners come on. And once the spinners know that you won't be hitting them for three sixes straight down the pitch or, you know, over midwicket."

Kohli will be next seen in action when India will take on Pakistan in their ICC Champions Trophy 2025 clash. The match between the teams will be played on Sunday (23rd February) at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium in Dubai.

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