"He may not have gotten the support" - Former India batter's stunning claim on Virat Kohli's Test retirement

Former India batter Mohammad Kaif has made a stunning claim on Virat Kohli's Test retirement. Kohli announced his decision to quit Test cricket on Monday, May 12, ahead of the Men in Blue's England tour next month.

Kaif claimed that Kohli was planning to participate in the England series. The star batter had also appeared in a Ranji Trophy match for Delhi (beginning January 30). Thus, the cricket world was shocked to learn of his decision to retire.

Kaif also opined that Virat Kohli may not have received enough support from the BCCI and selectors, leading to him making this call.

"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," Kaif told NDTV (via Hindustan Times).

Further, Kaif reckoned that Kohli may have been told that he no longer has a place in the team, given his form over the last few years in the longest format. The 44-year-old added that one will never know what actually prompted the decision.

“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," he added.

Virat Kohli played 123 Tests for India, scoring 9,230 runs at an average of 46.85, including 30 hundreds and 31 half-centuries.

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Mohammad Kaif's assessment of Virat Kohli in 2024-25 BGT

In the same interview, Mohammad Kaif said Virat Kohli looked in a hurry to score runs during the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) in Australia.

"In the Border Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25, he looked in a hurry to score runs. You have to stay out for hours and grind in Test cricket, which he has done in the past but the constant edging of the ball moving away from him while attempting to drive, made me feel his patience was a bit less," he explained.

Kohli had scored a century in the first Test in Perth, and it looked like it would be a redemption series for him. However, he failed to build on the ton, adding just 90 more runs in the entire series.

He ended with just 190 runs from five Tests and nine innings in what turned out to be a disappointing tour with the bat.