‘Daal roti nahi chalti’ - Virat Kohli’s brother slams experts after retirement debate

Virat Kohli’s brother, Vikas Kohl recently triggered a debate around the former India captain’s decision to retire from Test cricket. The comment came shortly after commentator Sanjay Manjrekar questioned Kohli’s Test retirement, comparing it with the ongoing success of Joe Root and Steve Smith in the Ashes.

The controversy began when Manjrekar, reacting to standout Test performances by Root and Smith, expressed disappointment over Kohli walking away from red-ball cricket. He suggested that the 37-year-old could have shown greater resolve in addressing his struggles rather than retiring. Manjrekar’s comments quickly gained attention. Vikas, who often defends his brother against criticism, responded with a post on Threads.

"SEEMS LIKE LOGON KI DAAL ROTI NAHI CHALTI. BINA VIRAT KOHLI KA NAAM LIYE HUE, (It seems like people cannot run their houses without taking Virat Kohli's name)," said Vikas.

Virat Kohli just walked away from cricket: Manjrekar

Manjrekar, in his Instagram video, had stated that Kohli averaged 31 in Tests over the last five years of his career and questioned why he did not put his heart and soul into fixing technical flaws. He further added that Kohli’s decision to continue in ODIs rather than retire completely was more disappointing.

"Well, as Joe Root attains new heights in Test cricket, my mind goes to Virat Kohli. He's walked away from Tests, and it's unfortunate that in the five years that he struggled before retiring, he didn't quite put his heart and soul into finding out the problems as to why he was averaging 31 for five years in Tests. That is for another time as to what he could have done. But I just feel sad that people like Joe Root and Steve Smith, Kane Williamson are really making a name for themselves in Test Cricket. It was okay, Virat Kohli just walked away from cricket, retired from all cricket. But that he's chosen to play one-day cricket actually disappoints me more, because this is a format which, for a top-order batter, I've said before as well, is the easiest format," Manjrekar said.

However, the veteran batter has entered 2026 in hot form, dominating domestic cricket in the Vijay Hazare Trophy for Delhi and carrying that momentum into international ODIs. His knocks of 131 against Andhra and 77 versus Gujarat showed his continued hunger for runs.