'Virat Kohli wanted to continue in Tests, BCCI cited his last 5-6 years form': Ex-India star's sensational claim

Former India National Cricket Team batter Mohammad Kaif has made a colossal claim regarding the retirement of the superstar batter Virat Kohli from Test cricket.

Mohammad Kaif claimed that Virat Kohli was keen to continue playing Test cricket, but the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) might have cited his poor form over the last five years and didn't offer him a place in the team.

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Virat Kohli retires as India's 4th highest Test run-getter

Virat Kohli recently followed the path of Rohit Sharma and announced his retirement from Test cricket via his official Instagram handle. It came as a major surprise to the cricketing world, as many expected him to play till 40, as he is regarded as one of the fittest cricketers in the world.

In his legendary Test career, Kohli played 123 Test matches, but he failed to breach the 10,000-run mark. He finished with 9230 runs at an average of 46.85, with his best score being 254*, to go with 30 centuries and 31 half-centuries.

Virat Kohli finished as the fourth-highest run-scorer for India in Tests. Sachin Tendulkar holds the record for the most Test runs for India, amassing 15,921 runs at an average of 53.78, and he is followed by Rahul Dravid with 13,288 runs, Sunil Gavaskar with 10,122 runs, and Virat Kohli.

A few reports came out a few days before Kohli made his retirement official, which claimed that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) wanted the star batter to reverse his retirement decision and travel with Team India to England for a five-match Test series, but the 36-year-old was adamant to say goodbye to the format he loved most.

There must have been some internal talks with the BCCI - Mohammad Kaif

Mohammad Kaif, meanwhile, believes that Kohli wanted to travel to England for the Test series, but the BCCI selectors didn't back him, taking into consideration his poor form in the longest format of the game.

“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."

“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 have not gotten the support he thought he will get from BCCI and selectors which he may not have gotten," he said as quoted by IANS.

“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 added.

Virat’s decision left me confused - Mohammad Kaif

Mohammad Kaif further said that he saw Rohit Sharma's retirement coming after how his Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 panned out, but was confused seeing Kohli retire.

He added that Kohli is a very fit cricketer, and even though his performance has gone down, he was good enough to play for a few more years and guide the youngsters. He said:

“On the other hand, Virat’s decision left me confused. Yes, in his Test career his numbers have come down in the past few years, but a 36-year-old fit Virat Kohli could have comeback like he has proved before."

“It felt he would play for a few years, guiding the youth players. This is a very private decision, he always used to say that it is his favourite format. If you look at any interview of his he always used to ring praises of the Test format."