Follow UsThere have been constant debates surrounding Virat Kohli’s Test retirement for the last three months. While some suggested some internal politics were involved, others cited that Kohli walked away from the format because of his lack of form. Finally, Kohli himself has revealed the reason behind his Test retirement.
"I just coloured my beard two days ago. You know it's time when you are colouring your beard every four days," said Kohli in an event, reported Hindustan Times.
Kohli retired abruptly before India’s five-match Test assignment against England, with 9,230 runs, 770 short of an illustrious 10,000 run mark in the longest format. Not just that, he also had the chance of taking his average past the 50-run mark, given the sort of pitches that England had to offer.
But India, since then, have not felt Kohli’s absence, as new Test skipper Shubman Gill has raised the baton spectacularly, with 430 runs in the Birmingham Test, the highest aggregate for an Indian batter in a Test. Thus far in the series, Gill has already put up three hundreds and is currently averaging 146.25.
Away from the topic, the former Indian skipper also spoke about his bond with the Indian veterans before the 2011 ODI World Cup. The right-hander revealed that he shared a good bond with Yuvraj Singh, Harbhajan Singh and Zaheer Khan during the early days of his international career.
"We shared a very good bond both on and off the field. I met him (Yuvraj) for the first time during a North Zone tournament in Bangalore. When I started playing for India, he, Bhajju Pa and Zaheer Khan took me under their wings. They really helped me grow as a player and made me comfortable in the dressing room,” Kohli revealed.
The 36-year-old also revealed that he had no idea about Yuvraj’s battle with cancer during India’s historic run in the 2011 ODI World Cup.
“A Lot of fun times off the field and they made me aware of the lifestyle of getting to the top. These are the bonds I will cherish for the rest of my life. Watching him in the World Cup was very special and what we got to know after that was a shock. Being so close to him... we had no idea. Then his battle with cancer and again the champion that he is... coming on top and making a comeback to the team when I was leading the team."
Kohli also opened up about working alongside Ravi Shastri, as the deadly pair changed the landscape of red-ball cricket in the country.
“If I wasn’t working with him, what happened in Test cricket wouldn’t have been possible – the clarity which we had together is very hard to find, it’s everything for cricketers to grow in their careers. If he didn’t back me the way he did, those press conferences where he took the bullets from the front line – things would have been different and I always have respect and regard for him, for being massive part of my cricket journey,” Kohli said about Shastri.