By Virat Kohli has not been “forced out” of Test cricket in the same way as Rohit Sharma has, but both players have opted to retire from the format within days of each other, sparking much debate and speculation in the cricketing world. Kohli, 36, announced his sudden retirement from Test cricket soon before the England Test series, surprising fans and officials alike.
According to reports, Kohli made this decision on his own and communicated it to the BCCI ahead of time. Despite the board’s efforts to encourage him to reconsider–particularly in light of Rohit Sharma and Ravichandran Ashwin’s recent retirements–Kohli stood hard and refused to back down.His retirement follows a period of deteriorating form in Test cricket, with only four hundreds in the last five years and continued issues with deliveries outside off-stump, a weakness that opposition bowlers have regularly exploited.
While some former players and analysts, like Mohammad Kaif, have argued that Kohli’s decision may be motivated by “helplessness” as a result of his recent troubles, there is no evidence that selectors or the board forced him out. Instead, Kohli looks to have made a personal decision, perhaps to give selectors enough time to construct a new team for the future and to leave on his own terms.
Virat Kohli’s retirement from Test cricket is voluntary rather than forced, but it does coincide with a period of transition and turmoil in Indian cricket following Rohit Sharma’s similar decision.
