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Former India opener Aakash Chopra has now reacted strongly after Kapil Dev questioned Virat Kohli's decision to retire from Test cricket. The legendary all-rounder felt Kohli ended his Test career too early and that too in "anger."
However, Aakash Chopra made it clear that once a player decides to retire, everyone should respect that decision instead of questioning it again and again. He admitted that many people may feel Virat Kohli still had a lot of Test cricket left in him, but he insisted that no one – not even former legends – can decide when a player should retire.
Aakash Chopra reacts after Kapil Dev questions Virat Kohli's Test retirement
The debate was started after Kapil Dev recently said that Kohli should have controlled his emotions and given himself a little more time before ending his Test career. The former World Cup-winning captain said Kohli still had plenty to contribute to Indian cricket in the traditional format of the game. Amid this, AB de Villiers urges patience with Shreyas Iyer's captaincy, denies Rajat Patidar talks.
Now, responding to the former Indian captain’s remarks, Aakash Chopra admitted that Virat Kohli probably retired earlier than many expected. However, he also pointed out that the former India captain may have had his own reasons behind taking such a big decision.
Chopra has also noted that Kohli's Test numbers over the last few years were not close to the standards he had set during the peak of his career. Kohli had dominated world cricket for so long, so he may have felt disappointed that he was no longer delivering such performances consistently.
King can't play a supporting role: Aakash Chopra's take on Virat Kohli's retirement
The cricket pundit has also pointed out that Kohli has always been a cricketer who wanted to be the team's biggest match-winner. The right-handed batter built his career by leading from the front and winning the games for his team. If he felt he was no longer able to play that role regularly, it could naturally influence his thinking, as explained by Chopra.
Chopra further felt that the poor ICC World Test Championship cycle and his young family may also have played a part in Kohli's retirement from the game. He said that Kohli must not want to spend that much of his time away from his young family, so the family issue was among the reasons.
Aakash Chopra said on Crex, "I heard Kapil Paji’s quote, and it's true that Virat Kohli left Test cricket early. If I were Virat Kohli, the King of Cricket, then his role in the King's Kingdom could not be a supporting cast. He has to have the main character energy. But that was not happening, and there is also a family issue. But at the end, that is entirely a personal decision.”
Aakash Chopra hits back at Kapil Dev, demands respect for Virat Kohli's retirement
Targeting the legendary all-rounder, the commentator believes that retirement is a personal choice and nobody should criticize that. He believes that nobody tells a player when to begin his international career, so nobody should tell him when to end it either.
Chopra further explained, “Starting and leaving is a very individual decision. And if a player has taken it, then we should only respect him. Of course, in hindsight, you feel that he is playing so well. If that was his form, he would have come back. He would have scored runs in the Test as well because the player is amazing.”
He urged everyone to respect Kohli’s decision. Chopra signed off by saying, “But if the player says that I was done, then he was done. You have to absolutely respect and admit and just move on. So, leaving Virat Kohli's Test is a personal decision. And when it is his decision, then we should only respect it.”
Did Virat Kohli Retire in Anger? 😡
— CREX (@Crex_live) July 8, 2026
Aakash Chopra Reacts to Kapil Dev’s Massive Claim!
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.#cricket #ViratKohli #TeamIndia #TestCricket pic.twitter.com/iPK1OlYQzJ
