"I tried to reason with him" - Former India batting coach admits trying to convince Virat Kohli against Test retirement amid IPL 2025

Former India batting coach Sanjay Bangar has revealed that he tried to talk Virat Kohli out of ending his Test career during the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 season. The pair have worked together with the Indian cricket team, the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), and also ahead of the England white-ball series and the 2025 Champions Trophy.

The cricketing world were sent spiralling after reports emerged that Virat Kohli was considering Test retirement. Even after persuasion by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) as well as by several prominent figures in the Indian cricketing fraternity, the ace batter did not budge from his decision.

Recently, former India head coach Ravi Shastri had also revealed that he had a conversation with Virat Kohli before he officially made the call regarding his red-ball career. However, much like Bangar, he could not persuade him into reverse his decision.

The former skipper officially announced his retirement from Test cricket through a post on social media ahead of the England tour in the 2025-27 World Test Championship (WTC) cycle.

Sanjay Bangar said that Kohli had his mind set on retirement, and he could not convince him otherwise through their conversation ahead of the announcement.

"It was a sad day for me personally. He was a giant of his era. I tried to reason with him – there were still a few good years of Test cricket left in him. But he had made up his mind. He was convinced about the timing, and once he made that decision, there was no going back. We must respect that," Bangar said on JioHotstar (via India Today).

Virat Kohli will continue to play ODIs for India with an eye firmly set on the 2027 World Cup in South Africa. The ace batter had already announced his retirement from T20I cricket after the 2024 T20 World Cup in the United States of America (USA) and the Caribbean.

Virat Kohli made 123 appearances in Test cricket since his debut in 2011

Virat Kohli made his Test debut against the West Indies in 2011, and cemented a spot in the middle order, playing a crucial role after the retirements of Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, and VVS Laxman. He eventually became the Test cricket, elevating the team and the format to higher standards.

His last appearance came during the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar series in Australia. He scored 17 and 6 in the first and the second innings, respectively, in the final Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground in the six-wicket loss.