Sanjay Manjrekar, former Indian cricketer and now cricket commentator, explained the characteristics of Virat Kohli in a new dimension. Kohli, who announced his retirement from Test cricket on May 12 through a social media post, played cricket's longest format for almost 14 years.

The Delhi-born batter made his debut in 2011 and announced his retirement in 2025. Along with his charismatic batting skills, he took the center of the stage for not behaving according to regulations. Despite spending so many years for India, people still criticized Kohli's on-field behavior.

Sanjay Manjrekar focused on that particular point of Kohli's career. According to him, the star Indian batter had broken all the blockades to take himself to another level, where only performance will speak. In the era of T20 cricket, Test cricket became less attractive for a part of cricket-loving fans.

Read More: Watch: IShowSpeed’s unexpected reaction to Virat Kohli’s Test retirement

Virat, who displayed his talent in all three formats, urged young players and people to engage with the traditional format too. The batter who played the cover drive like a stroke on the canvas had played 123 matches and finished with 9230 runs at an average of 46.85, including 30 centuries. The star cricketer smashed the most double centuries in Tests among the Indian batters.

Virat Kohli: A modern day hero

"In every way he was a modern-day hero, a role model for young athletes with his six-pack abs, his tattoos, and his style of playing cricket. He did not conform to behaving ‘correctly’ on the field... he was there to win, and he wasn’t going to let convention get in the way. But he worshipped Test cricket," Sanjay expressed himself in a recently published article. 

"And for a while when Test cricket was really struggling (and will continue to do so) as a format, Virat invested much in it, showing that his heart was in the right place. He is a very rich sportsman, but until the very end, he gave his all to Test cricket, the most non-lucrative form of the game." 

Glenn Maxwell's on-and-off performance in the IPL has again raised eyebrows, but this time in a quite lighter manner. While commenting on the IPL 2025 match between Rajasthan Royals (RR) and Punjab Kings (PBKS), celebrated commentator and ex-Indian cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar took a risk. While commentating on the JioHotstar panel, he light-heartedly referred to Maxwell as the "Halley's Comet of cricket."

Manjrekar justified his statement by drawing a parallel between Maxwell's occasional great performances and the occasional sighting of Halley's Comet. He said that Halley's Comet was last visible in 1986 and would be seen again in 2061  nearly 75 years later. He added that Maxwell's effective innings also feel as rare, appearing occasionally, but not frequently enough to have a lasting impact.

This sarcastic yet humorous remark received contrasting responses from Twitter users. While some were of the same view as Manjrekar, stating that Maxwell has repeatedly disappointed his sides although he has skill, others called it harsh, commenting that Maxwell has performed miraculously and needs to be credited for his endeavor, particularly at international level.

 makes a bold statement about Glenn Maxwell with an astronomy reference.🛰️📻 pic.twitter.com/7m4CRFX4KV

— CricTracker (@Cricketracker) April 5, 2025

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Mixed Reactions and Maxwell's Struggles in IPL

Glenn Maxwell hasn't had a good time in IPL 2025 either. During PBKS's first match against Gujarat Titans, he was dismissed on the first ball  a golden duck  which was his 19th duck in IPL history. That makes him the record holder for the most ducks in the tournament.

Maxwell has produced sparks in other competitions, such as the Big Bash, but his IPL career has been a rollercoaster. Sanjay Manjrekar's Halley's Comet analogy might have been intended humorously, yet it is also reflective of the exasperation so many fans feel at not witnessing Maxwell deliver on a regular basis in the world's largest T20 competition.

Former India cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar, who had previously advocated for Kolkata Knight Riders’ Rinku Singh‘s inclusion in the T20 World Cup squad, has now made a surprising decision to leave him out of his own squad. Manjrekar had urged selectors not to overlook Rinku Singh’s potential and include him in the 15-man probables, citing his impressive batting performances despite limited opportunities.

Rinku Singh, who made his debut for India in a T20I against Ireland in 2023, has amassed 356 runs in 15 T20Is with a striking rate of 176.23. Known for his prowess in finishing matches, Rinku has been a valuable asset for Team India.

“I hope selectors won’t forget about Rinku Singh…”

“Because he’s not getting many opportunities, I hope selectors won’t forget about Rinku Singh. He’s a straight walk-in into the Indian team. Every time he has got the opportunity, you’ve seen how good he can be, in the sense of his consistency and the range that he has. He’s somebody who I like, apart from the core of the Indian team, apart from the big names we are thinking about,” Manjrekar said.

Even in the ongoing IPL season, Rinku has been instrumental in providing Kolkata Knight Riders with crucial runs in the death overs, despite facing limited deliveries.

Manjrekar’s move to make squad

In Manjrekar’s T20 World Cup squad, he has chosen Rohit Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, and Suryakumar Yadav as frontline batters. Rishabh Pant and Sanju Samson have been selected for the wicketkeeping duties.

For all-rounders, Manjrekar has picked Ravindra Jadeja and Krunal Pandya, excluding Hardik Pandya and Shivam Dube. Spinners Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal have been included, along with pacers Jasprit Bumrah, Avesh Khan, and Mohammed Siraj. Additionally, uncapped pacers Mayank Yadav and Harshit Rana have also secured spots in Manjrekar’s 15-man squad.

See Also: IPL 2024: Big blow to PBKS, star all-rounder returns for National duty

Sanjay Manjrekar’s squad for T20 WC 2024: Rohit Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sanju Samson, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant, KL Rahul, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Avesh Khan, Harshit Rana, Mayank Yadav, Krunal Pandya