Virat Kohli 'Wanted To Continue' Playing Tests But May Have Not Got BCCI Support

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Last Updated:May 14, 2025, 14:19 IST

Virat Kohli reportedly was looking guardant to the adjacent month's England circuit earlier announcing Test retirement.

Virat Kohli is expected to proceed playing ODIs. (PTI Photo)

Former India cricketer Mohammad Kaif has claimed that Virat Kohli mightiness not person gotten the backing helium anticipated from the BCCI and selectors, which successful crook led to him ending his Test cricket vocation with contiguous effect.

Kohli, who scored 9,230 runs successful 123 matches astatine an mean of 46.85, wrote connected Instagram connected Monday that helium would beryllium retiring from Tests with contiguous effect. His determination comes conscionable 5 days aft India skipper Rohit Sharma retired from Test cricket.

“I deliberation helium wanted to proceed successful the format. There indispensable person been immoderate interior talks with the BCCI, the selectors whitethorn person cited his signifier successful the past 5-6 years and told him his spot successful the squad whitethorn nary longer beryllium there. We volition ne'er find retired what happened, it is precise hard to conjecture what really took spot down the scenes."

“But fixed the last-minute decision, having played the Ranji trophy, I decidedly deliberation helium wanted to travel backmost successful the upcoming Tests. The developments successful the past fewer weeks, helium whitethorn person not gotten the enactment helium thought helium volition get from BCCI and selectors which helium whitethorn not person gotten," said Kaif.

In caller times, Kohli had struggled to marque accordant runs successful Tests. He scored 190 runs successful 9 innings of the 2024/25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy series, which India mislaid 3-1. 100 of those runs came successful an unbeaten 2nd innings sound astatine Perth. Kaif felt Kohli being successful a hurry to people runs successful Australia was besides an denotation that his Test vocation was coming to a swift end.

“In the Border Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25, helium looked successful a hurry to people runs. You person to enactment retired for hours and grind successful Test cricket, which helium has done successful the past but the changeless edging of the shot moving distant from him portion attempting to drive, made maine consciousness his patience was a spot less."

“Maybe helium was reasoning ‘I americium successful the past signifier of my vocation what’s the constituent of scoring a gritty century, determination utilized to beryllium a antithetic level of patience connected show from him before, helium utilized to permission the balls, instrumentality his time, tyre the bowlers and past took them down but I did not spot that from him successful Australia’."

“That 1 method of dismissal astatine the slips possibly shows that helium was not acceptable to walk hours astatine the crease. The connection from BCCI and the self-realization successful red-ball cricket whitethorn person led to the decision," helium elaborated.

While Kaif was definite astir Rohit retiring from Tests aft making himself unavailable for the Sydney Test earlier this year, helium inactive expressed astonishment implicit Kohli leaving the longer format. “On the different hand, Virat’s determination near maine confused. Yes, successful his Test vocation his numbers person travel down successful the past fewer years, but a 36-year-old acceptable Virat Kohli could person comeback similar helium has proved before."

“It felt helium would play for a fewer years, guiding the younker players. This is simply a precise backstage decision, helium ever utilized to accidental that it is his favourite format. If you look astatine immoderate interrogation of his helium ever utilized to ringing praises of the Test format."

“He utilized to bask it due to the fact that helium utilized to emotion the gruelling situation and helium often encouraged the youngsters to travel his way to support Test cricket from dying. He utilized to archer youngsters to gain the Test headdress and it highly benefited Indian cricket," concluded Kaif.

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News cricket Virat Kohli 'Wanted To Continue' Playing Tests But May Have Not Got BCCI Support