Follow UsVirat Kohli announced his Test retirement recently at the age of 36, leaving everyone stunned. Many felt that the batter still had a lot in him, and with the five-match England Test tour coming up, his experience would have come in handy, as India enter a new phase under skipper Shubman Gill.
But it wasn't meant to be, and if anyone could understand Kohli, it was one of his closest friends, AB de Villiers, who also retired from the game at a similar age, six years ago. The duo have since shared a close bond both on and off the field, and the former South Africa batter reveals that Kohli did speak to him before calling time on his Test career.
"I know we were in the same boat because we spoke about it. He's been in touch with me over the last six months. Thank goodness, because I did have a bit of a footfall not so long ago when they were expecting their second child [De Villiers had publicly announced before Kohli]. So I was very relieved when he started talking to me again," de Villiers said in an exclusive chat with Cricket.com.
"So he was talking about. We all know he went through a bit of a patch and sort of wanted to bounce a few ideas off me, how did I get through certain moments of my life. So I knew what kind of phase he was going through, considering his age, how many games he's played, the dynamics of being in the team all the time, the politics thereof as well.
"Lots of things weigh in on you. And I shared with him from the heart what I felt and what I think, what I'm seeing from the side, watching him on the screen. So very happy that he's still around playing cricket. And the decision to not play Test cricket would have come from the heart.
"And I support him 100% with that. He's had a wonderful career, and I want him to enjoy his cricket until the very last ball. And if that is the way forward for him, then great, I'm right behind him. Hopefully, a lot more white-ball cricket for him left."
Kohli, India's most successful captain in Tests, walked away from the format as the fourth-highest run-getter for his country. His 9,230 runs from 123 matches included 30 centuries and 31 fifties.