Follow UsFormer Indian batter Manoj Tiwary feels Virat Kohli will never publicly explain why he suddenly retired from Test cricket before India’s tour of England. Kohli retired from the longest format in May while playing for Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025.
The Delhi star had been struggling for runs in Tests since 2020. In his last 69 innings, Kohli scored 2028 runs at a mediocre average of 30.73, including just three centuries. His form dipped further in the last two series against New Zealand and Australia, where he managed only 283 runs in eight Tests at an average of 20.21.
Kohli signaled a desire to return to form by playing his first first-class game for Delhi in 12 years - a Ranji Trophy match against Railways. However, he was dismissed for just 6 off 15 deliveries. There were still no indications that he was planning to step away from red-ball cricket, which made his sudden retirement all the more shocking.
"No way. So he could have easily played for another three years minimum and four years. It was very surprising and shocking for all the cricket fans, including me as well, because all we knew that he's so physically fit and he was preparing himself for the England series," Tiwary told CricTracker.
“I don't know what happened. What is the story behind the scenes? I think he was not feeling like he was wanted in Team India. Only he can say. I think he will not come out and ever say this thing in public forum because the human he has become, he has evolved as a human being, I think he is very happy with what God has given to him.
“He is becoming spiritual as well. When someone becomes spiritual, they just leave all these things aside and focus on the present. They don’t want to talk about the past. He has evolved as a human being; I don’t think he will come forward and ever say what has happened behind the scenes.
“But as a cricket lover, things that are happening around Team India, the cricketers like us who know a little bit, we all know what’s happening behind the scenes. I think he did not like the atmosphere he was playing in.”
Kohli has now retired from T20Is and Tests but is eager to feature in the 2027 ODI World Cup. He will next be seen in action during the three-match ODI series in Australia this October.