Did Virat Kohli time his Test retirement right?

India Today

13-05-2025

Just 770 runs shy of the fabled 10,000-mark in Test cricket, Virat Kohli stunned the cricketing world by announcing his immediate retirement from the longest format on Monday, 12 May. While it's understood that the decision had been made days in advance and that the Indian cricket board had been informed, many had hoped he would still make the trip to England and lead a relatively inexperienced batting line-up, particularly in the absence of Rohit Sharma, who had hung up his Test boots just five days earlier.advertisementFrom discussions with the BCCI top brass to public endorsements by cricketing greats, there was widespread hope that Kohli would carry on. The legendary Brian Lara, in a rare social media post, expressed confidence that Kohli still had much to offer, predicting he could average over 60 in the remainder of his career. With such voices urging him to reconsider, the inevitable suddenly didn't feel quite so inevitable.Yet, Kohli had clearly made up his mind.
"As I step away from this format, it's not easy - but it feels right. I've given it everything I had, and it's given me back so much more than I could've hoped for," he wrote in an emotional farewell note.Kohli adored Test cricket. He championed its cause at a time when attention spans were shrinking and the T20 format was rapidly transforming how the sport was played and consumed. "Test cricket is dying," they said. But Kohli stood firm as one of its most passionate modern-day flagbearers. His commitment reminded a new generation of cricketers that donning the whites for India -- what he called the 'Baggy Blue' -- was the ultimate honour.Did he coin that term in his farewell note? It's clearly a nod to Australia's cherished 'Baggy Green': a symbol of Test prestige. That alone tells you how deeply Kohli cherished every moment he spent out in the middle representing India in the purest form of the game. advertisement View this post on Instagram A post shared by Virat Kohli (@virat.kohli)Kohli never backed away from a fight when donning the whites. Be it the Ranji Trophy match just hours after his father's death in 2006, or pushing for a 364-run chase in Adelaide in his first Test as captain in 2014, Kohli constantly pushed the limits -- of himself and his team.That's why it was a bit surprising to see him give up Tests at 36, especially when he remains the fittest man in the team.Former India spinner and Delhi Ranji Trophy coach Sarandeep Singh revealed that Kohli had spoken about his keenness to play in England in June-August when he returned to play for Delhi against Railways earlier this year. Sarandeep noted that Kohli was even prepared to feature in the practice matches with the India A side.The very fact that Kohli returned to play domestic cricket after 13 years-following the disastrous tour of Australia-was an indication that he wasn't ready to walk away just yet.So, what changed in three months? Did Virat Kohli arrive at this decision himself, or was he nudged by the powers that be in the BCCI and the selection committee?Having stepped away from the T20 format after India's triumph in the 2024 World Cup, Kohli was expected to focus on one-day internationals and Tests for at least a couple more years. The 2027 ODI World Cup and the World Test Championship final in the same year were seen as realistic targets for the Big Two-Rohit and Kohli.But Kohli's form wasn't helping his cause.advertisementThe pressure was mounting. At times, it must have felt claustrophobic.THE MASSIVE DIP: INEXPLICABLE?Between 2016 and 2021, Kohli was at his peak. He scored 4,324 runs in Test cricket at an average of 62 (second only to Steve Smith's 65) and notched up 16 centuries-more than anyone else in that period.But post-2021, the graph dipped. Kohli managed just three centuries and averaged 31-the fourth-lowest among Indian batters with a minimum of 500 runs in that timeframe.In the same period, his contemporaries-Smith, Root, and Williamson-averaged 48, 61, and 55 respectively. The famed 'Big Four' was slowly shrinking to a Big Three as Kohli lagged behind in red-ball cricket.The 2024-25 home season proved definitive - the troubles against high-quality spin and high-quality pace only intensified. After the high of the T20 World Cup, India set their sights on another World Test Championship final. However, a historic series defeat at home to New Zealand and the subsequent thrashing in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia were largely due to the failures of their batting stalwarts -- Rohit and Kohli.advertisementKohli scored 382 runs in 10 Tests at an average of 22.47. Rohit fared worse, with just 164 runs in eight Tests at an average of 10.93.There was a fleeting spark in Perth, where Kohli struck a hundred in the series opener. But what followed was a nightmare for fans. In the remaining four Tests, he mustered just 85 runs. His perennial weakness against the fourth- and fifth-stump line resurfaced-seven out of ten dismissals in Australia came from edging and being caught in that channel.The loud roar of frustration he let out after falling to Scott Boland in what turned out to be his final Test innings in Sydney told its own story.
Virat Kohli endured a lean patch in his final tour of Australia (AFP Photo)
WHY THE DIP AND WHY WAS IT IRREVERSIBLE?But nothing worked. For all his grit and preparation, Kohli couldn't find a way back. And that's the tragedy of it-this wasn't a man giving up. This was a champion exhausting every option.advertisement"Kohli is a bottom-hand player. He is doing well because of his fitness and it is supporting him. The moment he will face a decline, I don't think Kohli can make a comeback," former Pakistan pacer Mohammad Asif once said. Harsh? Maybe. But prophetic.Kohli's stubborn forward press and habit of batting outside the crease -- tactical changes made post the 2014 England debacle -- had served him well for years. But with reflexes slowing, that very rigidity became his undoing. Critics like Sanjay Manjrekar had long called for a stronger backfoot game, but by then, it may have been too late to reinvent.Yet, this was never just about technique. Kohli lived and breathed Test cricket with unmatched intensity. Even in his final match, he was sledging, barking back at the crowd, throwing himself into every moment. That kind of fire can burn bright-but it also burns fast."Why the decline? Any number of factors possibly - age (he is 36), time of life, family, post-captaincy blues - but my guess is that zealous and intense commitment in the earlier part of his career took its toll and that a slight mental weariness took hold, dulling a little of his edge," wrote former England captain Michael Atherton in The Times.advertisement"Few know what it is like to play in the goldfish bowl of Indian cricket for so long. The time had come."Could Kohli have gone on? Perhaps. Reports suggest he was even ready to lead the side in Rohit's absence for the England tour. But selectors, with an eye on transition, reportedly warned that failure would bring scrutiny. That apparently was the writing on the wall. What if India's greatest Test captain had to be dropped?That, maybe, was one indignity too many.All good things end. And the start of a new World Test Championship cycle offered a dignified exit-for both Rohit and Kohli.Definitely, there would have been conversations with both of them because the one thing nobody would have wanted to see was them being dropped from the team," Sunil Gavaskar told India Today on Monday."Nobody would have wanted that."In the end, Kohli didn't wait to be eased out. He walked away on his own terms-bat raised, head high, fire intact.And that's how the greats go. Tune InMust Watch