Regarding Virat Kohli‘s decision to retire from Test cricket, former Indian cricketer Mohammad Kaif has offered his thoughts. On May 12, 2025, the Delhi-born batsman announced his retirement from red-ball cricket after playing in 123 Test matches for India and amassing 9230 runs at an average of 46.85, which included 30 hundreds and 31 half-centuries.
According to Kaif, Virat Kohli first desired to join the England tour but changed his mind. Kaif claims that a decline in performance and a feeling that he was no longer wanted were factors in Virat Kohli decision to leave Test cricket.
“Virat Kohli was having difficulties. His retirement was for two reasons.
First, he was unable to get runs because every bowler was aiming for him outside the off-stump, which was where his vulnerability was becoming apparent. Second, he wanted to continue playing and even go on the England trip, but he felt that many people no longer wanted him on the team because of certain things that transpired there,” Kaif stated on his YouTube channel.
It gets to be too much when you’re already having trouble with your form and you have to deal with seam-friendly circumstances in England, similar to what he had to do with in Australia, besides not feeling encouraged by the coaches or selectors. He felt that his spot in the starting lineup was uncertain and that he might not even make the team of 15 as a result of all of it. Virat Kohli made the decision to abandon Test cricket and concentrate on white-ball formats due to these factors,” he continued.
In response to criticism of Virat Kohli career management, especially after moving to London, Kaif pointed out that Virat Kohli most recent IPL 2025 performance earned him the third-highest run total in the competition (657 runs), surpassing players like Rohit Sharma and Shreyas Iyer.
Who are these individuals? They should be informed that Kohli outscored Abhishek Sharma, Rohit Sharma, and Shreyas Iyer in his most recent IPL match. I consider whether a player shows up for camp and takes the pitch to play a meaningful innings. If we call him and he shows up, I watch him practise’, Kaif remarked.
The flight takes eight hours to get from London to Mumbai. If he claims he will not attend the camp and would instead travel directly to Australia, that is incorrect. Kohli would never do that, whatever of your doubts about it,” he continued.
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