Virat Kohli was preparing for England tour, his retirement is 'shocking': 'He said, I'll play 2 India A matches...'
Delhi Ranji cricket coach Sarandeep Singh weighed in on Virat Kohli's retirement from Tests, expressing his surprise given what he thought the batter's future would be in the wake of his brief Ranji stint earlier this year. Kohli brought the curtain down after playing 123 Tests for India. The batter finishes his Test career with 770 runs short of the 10,000 mark. He ends his career as the fourth-highest run-scorer for India, only behind Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and Sunil Gavaskar.
Speaking on JioStar, Singh explained how he was caught unaware by Kohli's announcement, despite rumours in recent days regarding Kohli's decision. 'This morning when I heard this news that Virat Kohli has announced his retirement. This was a big surprise for me,' explained Singh. 'And as far as we were talking about the Delhi Ranji Trophy, the way he was playing the matches, 4-5 days before that, we started talking to him about the matches he wants to play. He showed his involvement.'
Singh explained how Kohli's relatively quiet series in Australia was a pressure point for the batter, leading the coach to believe that he will be extra motivated to perform in England in June-July this year.
'The way he started his preparation for the red ball, he was talking about how the Australia tour would have been, but he was preparing for the England tour, how we would win the Test match. But suddenly, now we see that the person who was ready to go to England will not be going to England. That announcement that has been made today, I think everyone is shocked,' explained the Delhi coach.
'I didn't even get to hear it from him. I was talking to him a few days ago, I was talking to him on messages, but I didn't get any such intention that he is thinking about something like this,' explained Singh. 'And the way he is going to the IPL, he is making runs and is in great form.'
Singh also provided context that Kohli was seemingly geared towards strong preparation for the England tour, including being involved in India A's tour games ahead of the series proper beginning on June 20 in Leeds.
'I had asked him if he would play county cricket after this. He said, no, brother, I want to play matches for India A. He said he would play two matches for India A, and then I will prepare for the Test match,' explained Singh. 'So he was planning to play for India A. But suddenly, I heard that he was not playing. This is surprising.'
Kohli's decision means he will now only represent India in ODI cricket, having announced his T20I retirement in 2024. Before that, he will play a central role in trying to help Royal Challengers Bengaluru win their first IPL title.
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