Virat Kohli stunned everyone with his announcement to retire from Test cricket and no explanation has been given behind this sudden decision. India was already preparing for 5-match Test series against England and Virat Kohli chose to walk away from the format just ahead of that. According to former Indian cricketer Mohammad Kaif, Kohli was preparing for the England tour and even participated in the Ranji Trophy but he might not have received the backing from selection panel which is led by Ajit Agarkar.
Virat Kohli’s Performance In The Last 5 Years
Kaif also believes that this might be a reason behind his retirement, it was also reported before that the selectors were questioning Kohli’s place in the team and scrutinizing his performance. In the past five years Kohli’s strike rate has dropped below 50 and he has scored just 2028 runs in 68 innings. Despite scoring a century last year in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy at Perth, his performance lacked consistency and there’s a possible sign that he might have already moved on from the format.
Also Read: RCB In Crisis: List Of All The Players Unavailable! Check Who’ll Lead RCB If Rajat Patidar Misses Out
“He Wanted To Continue” Says Mohammad Kaif
“I think he wanted to continue in the format. There must have been some internal talks with the BCCI, the selectors may have cited his form in the past 5-6 years and told him his spot in the team may no longer be there. We will never find out what happened, it is very difficult to guess what actually took place behind the scenes.”
“He May Not Have Gotten The Support”
“But given the last minute decision, having played the Ranji trophy, I definitely think he wanted to come back in the upcoming Tests. The developments in the last few weeks, he may have not gotten the support he thought he will get from BCCI and selectors which he may not have gotten,” Kaif was quoted by NDTV
Virat Kohli In Border-Gavaskar Trophy
“In the Border Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25, he looked in a hurry to score runs. You have to stay out for hours and grind in Test cricket, which he has done in the past but the constant edging of the ball moving away from him while attempting to drive, made me feel his patience was a bit less,” he added.
Also Read: IPL 2025 LIVE Updates: Many Overseas Players Likely To Be Unavailable!!
Maybe Kohli Was Already Done With The Format
“Maybe he was thinking ‘I am in the last phase of my career what’s the point of scoring a gritty century, there used to be a different level of patience on display from him before, he used to leave the balls, take his time, tire the bowlers and then took them down but I did not see that from him in Australia’.”
“That one method of dismissal at the slips perhaps shows that he was not ready to spend hours at the crease. The communication from BCCI and the self-realization in red-ball cricket may have led to the decision,” he elaborated.
