Sanjay Manjrekar explains why Kohli does not qualify as one of India’s greatest captains

Virat Kohli

Indian cricket legend Virat Kohli stepped down as the captain of the Indian Test side after the conclusion of the three-match Test series against South Africa. And now, former Indian cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar has stated that when all-time great Indian captains are talked about, MS Dhoni would figure right on top.

Manjrekar also added that while Kapil Dev helped India to overcome their inferiority complex, Sourav Ganguly led the side superbly after the match-fixing saga. Manjrekar also praised Sunil Gavaskar and said that these cricketers were better leaders than Kohli.

So when we talk about all-time greats, it would be very unfair to not count Dhoni in that. Kapil Dev at a time when there was an inferiority complex at the world level. Saurav Ganguly after the match-fixing era gave India some overseas wins. Sunil Gavaskar also. So these are all great leaders. These are guys that I believe have been better captains than Virat Kohli who has been very good in his own right,” said Sanjay Manjrekar in a chat with News18.

With Virat Kohli, you get that never say die attitude: Sanjay Manjrekar


Sanjay Manjrekar also said that Virat Kohli has led by example. Manjrekar praised Kohli for always keeping India’s morale high and bringing with him the never-say-die attitude. However, Manjrekar said that Kohli could not bring the desired results for the Indian side in his reign as the skipper.

When you look at Kohli, there are a lot of things to like about him because he is somebody who led by example. He has kept India’s morale high. That is what you get with Virat Kohli, the never-say-die attitude. In the World Test Championship final India lost. But till the last minute India through Virat Kohli was still fighting to salvage the game. But finally, you’ve got to talk about the results. The results were not coming,” concluded Sanjay Manjrekar.

Virat Kohli will next be seen in action when India takes on the West Indies in a limited-overs series that will commence on 6th February 2022.