Virat Kohli’s retirement from Test cricket has left a big gap for Indian cricket. With the recent retirements of other veterans like Ravichandran Ashwin and Rohit Sharma, losing Kohli too is a tough hit. He shared his retirement news on Instagram on May 12, and while there had been chatter about him stepping back from Tests, the announcement surprised many. It seems that the BCCI and some prominent players had tried to persuade him to continue, especially with the Tour of England coming up in June.
Reports indicate that Kohli was tipped off about a possible return to captaincy during India’s Tour of Australia in December-January. After India lost the second Test in Adelaide under Rohit Sharma, there were suggestions that Kohli might take over again. However, as India went on to lose the series, the team’s management shifted its focus to younger leadership.
Even though Kohli was still hopeful about regaining captaincy, he played a Ranji Trophy match for Delhi in February as required by the BCCI. By April, he was told he was out as a player, which eventually led him to announce his retirement. Former cricketer and national selector Sarandeep Singh shared that he never got a hint from Kohli about retiring. They had even discussed Kohli playing in County cricket before the Test series, and he seemed keen on improving his game.
Singh mentioned Kohli’s impressive form in the IPL, stating he was looking to score more centuries in England as the senior player on the team. With everything going on, it looks like there are more factors behind Kohli’s retirement than we might realize.
