Dinesh Karthik shares shocking revelations on Virat Kohli's behaviour in RCB Dressing room since Test Retirement
Published - 24 May 2025, 12:35 PM | Updated - 24 May 2025, 12:40 PM
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Virat Kohli’s sudden retirement from Test cricket left fans, teammates, and even his own franchise, Royal Challenger Bengaluru (RCB), in shock. Now, RCB mentor and batting coach Dinesh Karthik has revealed that Virat Kohli is now the happiest he’s ever been.
The Royal Challenger Bengaluru camp, like the rest of the world, was blindsided when Kohli dropped the retirement bombshell on May 12. Even those closest to the former RCB and India captain didn’t see his Test retirement coming that soon.
Virat Kohli’s Test retirement shocks fans and RCB
Reports suggest that Kohli had informed the BCCI about his plan to retire from Test cricket weeks ahead of his public announcement, but the board’s top officials reportedly tried to convince him to at least make the England tour one last time.
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However, Kohli remained firm on his decision. With the five-match Test series in England around the corner, India will now begin a new era without the two iconic batters, Kohli and Rohit Sharma.
Both legends bid farewell to Test cricket earlier this month, leaving the national selectors to change their plans for the England tour, starting on June 20.
Virat Kohli is at his happiest now: Dinesh Karthik
Meanwhile, Dinesh Karthik revealed that Kohli’s retirement from Test cricket surprised everyone, including those inside the RCB camp. He further said that Kohli is now the happiest he’s been, enjoying the game and cherishing time with his family.
Dinesh Karthik said at the press conference, “It came as a shock to the outside world, so we were just observing what Virat was up to. He is at his happiest now—he's enjoying the sport, and he genuinely wants to spend more time with his family.”
Karthik added, “It's a personal decision, and we respect it. Like everyone else, we were taken aback—'Oh, this is happening.' But the fact is, it's great to see him happy and ready whenever we want him to play. The key is to keep him in good spirits.”
Virat Kohli becomes the first player to hit 800 T20 fours for a single team
Meanwhile, Kohli has achieved another milestone as he became the first player to hit 800 fours for a single team in T20 cricket. He reached this milestone during Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s recent IPL 2025 match against Sunrisers Hyderabad
During RCB’s 42-run loss to SRH in Lucknow, the dashing right-hander scored 43 runs, including seven boundaries that helped him to go past the 800-boundary mark. This record shows Kohli’s amazing consistency in the IPL, where he has been a key player for RCB since the start of the league in 2008.
Out of the 800 fours, 756 were hit in IPL games and 44 came in the Champions League T20, all while playing for the same team—Royal Challengers Bengaluru. This makes Kohli the only cricketer to reach such a huge milestone with one franchise in the shorter format of the game.
Most boundaries for a single team in T20 cricket:
Virat Kohli for RCB - 801
James Vince for Hampshire - 694
Alex Hales for Nottinghamshire - 563
Rohit Sharma for MI - 550
Luke Wright for Sussex - 529
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