Has Virat Kohli retired from Test cricket voluntarily? Did the former India captain call it a day because he’d reached a saturation point, or were there non-cricketing reasons that led to Kohli bidding the longest format of the sport adieu?
One mustn’t forget that Kohli played in the Ranji Trophy in January. Why would he play domestic red-ball cricket after 13 years just to call it quits four months later? He didn’t have a great time in Australia, and had he retired then, it would have made sense. But to hang up his boots now, with the England tour only a month away, just doesn’t sit right.
Kohli wasn’t pleased with BCCI & Gambhir?
Well, it turns out that Kohli may have decided to retire from Test cricket due to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and India head coach Gautam Gambhir.
According to Cricblogger, Kohli wasn’t pleased with how then India Test captain Rohit Sharma was treated in Australia. Rohit didn’t play the last match in Sydney. He stated that he’d dropped himself. But reports suggested that Gambhir and BCCI Chairman of Selectors Ajit Agarkar had told Rohit to sit out.
It was reported that BCCI will ask Gambhir about Rohit continuing as India’s captain for the England Test series. That was in March. So BCCI discussed Rohit and India’s squad for England at length. And then on May 7, Rohit announced his retirement from the format.
Optics suggest that Rohit may have been forced out by the BCCI. Again, would he not retire in January after his horrendous Australia tour? Why wait for four months? Why play the Ranji Trophy again?
It seems like Kohli didn’t want to be at someone else’s mercy. He was willing to go to England, and the BCCI even wanted him to lead and Shubman Gill to be his understudy, who would eventually take over as India’s next permanent Test captain. But Kohli had already seen an Indian captain being dropped before the series ended in Australia. And didn’t fancy that happening to him. So, Kohli took things in his hand and decided to retire from Test cricket on his own terms.
Virat Kohli’s Test retirement: Did BCCI & Gautam Gambhir’s treatment of Rohit Sharma play a part? Inside Sport India.
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