MS Dhoni backed Virat Kohli when he was on verge of getting dropped in 2012: Sanjay Manjrekar

Virat Kohli was about to be dropped after 6 Tests in January 2012, when his batting average had been 21.27. (File Photo/BCCI)

Virat Kohli was about to be dropped from the Indian team after six Tests following a string of poor scores during the tour of Australia in 2011/12, but then-India skipper MS Dhoni backed him, Sanjay Manjrekar said. Kohli repaid the faith by scoring 75 in the next Test at Perth, and then hit his maiden Test century in Adelaide at 23 years of age.

“Virat Kohli is Virat Kohli. He always finds ways to score runs. The hundred that he scored in the 2011/12 series, India lost it 0-4. And I think that was the only century scored by an Indian in that series. He was a young man who actually was on the verge of getting dropped after Sydney. Dhoni backed him; he played in Perth scored a 70, and then he got that hundred,” Manjrekar said on Sony Sports Network.

Kohli had made his debut against West Indies the previous year, but found his place under early pressure after registering scores of 11, 0, 23, and 9 in the first two Tests of the 2011/12 series.

Kohli’s place was under threat before the 3rd Test of the series in Perth, Manjrekar revealed. He went on to make 44 and 75 in that Test, and then scored his maiden Test century in Adelaide a week later.

“The thing with Virat Kohli is that later, in 2014/15, he hit four hundreds,” Manjrekar added.

I would still drop VVS & get rohit in for next test.Makes long term sense. give virat 1 more test..just to be sure he does not belong here.

— Sanjay Manjrekar (@sanjaymanjrekar) January 6, 2012

“I would still drop VVS & get Rohit in for the next Test. Makes long term sense. give Virat 1 more Test..just to be sure he does not belong here,” Manjrekar had himself tweeted in 2012.

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