'Lesser mortals lose confidence easily': Manjrekar draws Virat Kohli-Sachin Tendulkar parallel after dismissal

Royal Challengers Bengaluru lost by nine runs to Lucknow Super Giants through the DLS method in their Indian Premier League 2026 match at the Ekana Cricket Stadium on Thursday.

One of the key moments of the match was the dismissal of Virat Kohli. LSG pacer Prince Yadav bowled a 140.4 kmph inswinging delivery that went through Kohli’s defence and hit the off stump. Kohli was dismissed for a duck, and looked surprised after getting bowled and stared at the pitch where the ball had landed.

Former India batter Sanjay Manjrekar later spoke about Kohli’s reaction and compared it with Sachin Tendulkar.

"Virat Kohli getting clean bowled by Prince Yadav gives great insight into a champion batter's mind. It was the same with Tendulkar as well. It's not so much about how he got out. Look at Virat's reaction when he gets out. He looks down at the pitch, as if something untoward has happened. As if the pitch had played some trick on him," said Manjrekar in a video on Instagram.

"Tendulkar as well, towards the end of his career, would look down at the pitch and think that the ball had kept low and that something wrong had happened there. What's happening here is that the moment there is a little setback, they aren't immediately looking within or being self-critical. They are looking at other reasons apart from themselves for what has happened," he added.

Manjrekar said this kind of reaction is common among top batters because they have strong belief in their own ability.

"That, interestingly, is a trait of a great batter. Because they have had such tremendous success over the years, their self-confidence is very high. So when they have a moment like this, the self-confidence doesn't dip quickly. Lesser mortals, when something like this happens, see their self-confidence get shattered. Great batters will instinctively find another reason for getting out because their faith in their own ability is so high. That is one reason why great batters are great, as opposed to lesser mortals who lose their confidence easily," the former India batter concluded.