Mohammad Kaif highlights BCCI's role in Virat Kohli's retirement: '...last-minute decision after playing Ranji Trophy'

Mohammad Kaif highlights BCCI's role in Virat Kohli's retirement (BCCI Photo)

Indian talisman Virat Kohli retired from the red-ball format earlier this week. Even if his performance declined in recent series, there was hope that Kohli will remain a mainstay and be part of the England series next month, which also marks the start of a new World Test Championship (WTC) cycle. Several former players have weighed-in on Kohli's shocking announcement and Mohammad Kaif too has joined the bandwagon. The former India batter expressed that Kohli might have wanted to continue playing in the format before highlighting the mystery behind the "last-minute decision".

“I think he wanted to continue in the format. There must have been some internal talks with the BCCI; the selectors may have cited his form in the past 5-6 years and told him his spot in the team may no longer be there. We will never find out what happened, it is very difficult to guess what actually took place behind the scenes.

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“But given the last-minute decision, having played the Ranji Trophy, I definitely think he wanted to come back in the upcoming Tests. The developments in the last few weeks, he may not have gotten the support he thought he would get from BCCI and selectors,” said Kaif in an exclusive conversation with IANS.

In 123 Test matches for India, Kohli amassed 9,230 runs at an average of 46.85. Over the past five years, his average dipped, totaling 1,990 runs in 37 games with three hundreds.

“In the Border Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25, he looked in a hurry to score runs. You have to stay out for hours and grind in Test cricket, which he has done in the past. But the constant edging of the ball moving away from him while attempting to drive made me feel his patience was a bit less.

“Maybe he was thinking ‘I am in the last phase of my career what’s the point of scoring a gritty century'. There used to be a different level of patience on display from him before, he used to leave the balls, take his time, tire the bowlers and then took them down but I did not see that from him in Australia’,” said Kaif.

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“That one method of dismissal at the slips perhaps shows that he was not ready to spend hours at the crease. The communication from BCCI and the self-realization in red-ball cricket may have led to the decision,” he further elaborated.

Kohli finished with an average of 23.75 from five Test matches during the most recent tour of Australia. Kohli got out to deliveries outside off stump seven times out of his eight dismissals during the tour.