'Persuaded Virat Kohli to bid goodbye to Test cricket after England series': Shocking claim emerges

Former India National Cricket Team captain Dilip Vengsarkar has made a massive statement on the retirement of the batting stalwart Virat Kohli from Test cricket.

Dilip Vengsarkar said that if he were the current BCCI chief selector in place of Ajit Agarkar, he would have persuaded Kohli to say goodbye to Test cricket only after the series against the England National Cricket Team.

Virat Kohli announced his Test retirement on May 12

The legendary Indian batter Virat Kohli announced his retirement from Test cricket on May 12, 2025, via an Instagram post, days after captain Rohit Sharma did the same thing.

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With this, Virat Kohli marked the end of an iconic 14-year Test career that began in 2011. In the last few years, there was a downfall in Kohli's performance with the bat, but it didn't affect the legacy that he built in Test cricket.

Virat Kohli made Team India an extraordinary side during his captaincy tenure, which started in December 2014 and ended in January 2022. He led India in 68 matches, steering the team to 40 wins, 17 losses, and 11 draws. Also, Kohli ranks fourth for the most Test wins, after Graeme Smith, Ricky Ponting, and Steve Waugh.

Overall, Virat Kohli played 123 Test matches for the India National Cricket Team and scored 9,230 runs, with 30 centuries and 31 fifties. Due to a dip in his performance, he finished with an average of below 50 - 46.85.

We needed his class and experience in this series - Dilip Vengsarkar

In a recent interaction, Dilip Vengsarkar said that India needed Virat Kohli in the recently concluded Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy 2025, which ended in a 2-2 draw.

"If I was the India chief selector, I would have persuaded Virat to bid goodbye to Test cricket after playing the England series. We needed his class and experience in this series," he said, as quoted by the Times of India (TOI).

Dilip Vengsarkar added that the high-voltage Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy was a series for the ages, as top-notch quality of cricket was seen across all 25 days of the play. He said:

"Who remembers the runs and wickets taken in the IPL? However, people will remember Mohammed Siraj's lion-hearted performance in this series (23 wickets in five Tests), Shubman Gill (754 runs in five Tests), KL Rahul (532), Yashasvi Jaiswal (411 runs) and Rishabh Pant's (479) sublime batting, and Washington Sundar's superb all-round performance (284 runs & seven wickets in four Tests). A series like this one takes place probably once in four years. I believe India are not playing a five-Test series till Jan 2027 (against Australia). It was a series for the ages."

Also Read: 'Aussies would've shown him his place': Dilip Vengsarkar attacks Oval curator for fight with Gautam Gambhir

I must appreciate the culture of Test cricket in England - Dilip Vengsarkar

Dilip Vengsarkar also lauded the England crowd for packing the stadium in all five Tests and was impressed with the ECB curators for preparing sporting pitches, which helped in reviving the interest in Test cricket. He said:

"I must appreciate the culture of Test cricket in England. There were huge crowds for all the Tests, and the sporting wickets ensured that the result of all five Tests was decided on the fifth and final day. This series, which will be remembered for ages, has revived the interest for Test cricket in cricket lovers. It has increased Test cricket’s importance."