India got off to an excellent start on Day 1 of the first Test against England at Headingley. Openers KL Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal performed excellently against the new ball, stitching a 91-run partnership and completely nullifying the English pace attack early on. Rahul and Jaiswal did an excellent job of leaving deliveries outside the off-stump and taking and mixing caution with aggression. On that note, former India cricketer and reputed pundit Sanjay Manjrekar took a jibe at another ‘former player’, which many on social media thought was a reference to Virat Kohli.

“Deliveries outside the off stump, full, have been left alone. Jaiswal has done that. Anything that has been pitched right up into the stumps, he has driven. Anything that has been wide, he has looked to score on. KL Rahul has not touched one delivery or attempted to play one single delivery that’s been full, just outside off,” Manjrekar noted, from the commentary box.

“We know of a former batter who would have gone after that delivery and got himself into trouble. But not these two,” Manjrekar stated.

Many fans on social media interpreted Manjrekar referring to Kohli’s weakness outside the off-stump with that statement.

Sanjay Manjrekar Again Cooked Virat Kohli#INDvsENG . pic.twitter.com/ldkwOCRKSG

— Hrsha (@Hrsha_45) June 20, 2025

Sanjay Manjrekar – “We know of a former batter who would have gone after that delivery and gotten himself into trouble”

No way he just said this on air about Kohli The man has retired. Please leave him alone now#INDvsENG #ViratKohli #sanjaymanjrekar pic.twitter.com/G8TX46G4XT

— BoyLovesCricket (@boylovescricket) June 20, 2025

Sanjay Manjrekar :

“We know a former batter Kohli who would have gone after it and got himself into trouble but not these two” pic.twitter.com/O31hQHb3kV

— (@Shivayaaah) June 20, 2025

Kohli infamously got out repeatedly to deliveries outside the off-stump on multiple times.

The weakness became glaring during India’s tour of Australia in 2024/25, which saw Kohli dismissed by edging deliveries outside the off-stump for every single time he got out in the series.

The series turned out to be Kohli’s last, with the 36-year-old announcing his retirement from Test cricket ahead of the tour of England.

After England captain Ben Stokes opted to bowl first under overcast skies, Yashsavi Jaiswal and KL Rahul faced a disciplined new-ball attack led by Chris Woakes and Brydon Carse. The Indian openers started cautiously, showing sound judgment outside off and immense patience.

As the session wore on, both batters found fluency-Rahul unfurling elegant drives through cover, and Jaiswal playing with a mix of controlled aggression and solid technique.

Their partnership of 91 runs was a masterclass in shot selection and temperament, with the pair collecting 16 boundaries, all via classical strokes through the offside. Despite a few testing deliveries-most notably a nasty ribcage blow to Jaiswal from Carse-the duo looked in complete control. For a while, England appeared bereft of ideas, even burning a DRS review on a delivery that pitched comfortably outside leg stump.