King Kohli declares his Test innings, leaves a Virat void

Over the course of multiple peaks and troughs, and through thousands of cricketing battles during a turbulent 14-year Test career, Virat Kohli usually stuck to his guns. So it was with his retirement, as he resisted requests to pad up for one more series in England, foregoing the temptation of a farewell Test.

A fortnight after he first expressed his desire to retire from the longest format to chief selector Ajit Agarkar, Kohli brought the curtains down on a stellar career spanning 123 Tests, in which he scored 9,230 runs and 30 tons.

“I’m walking away with a heart full of gratitude — for the game, for the people I shared the field with, and for every single person who made me feel seen along the way,” Kohli wrote in an Instagram post announcing his decision.

His decision has taken the Indian cricket board (BCCI) by surprise. While he has been struggling for runs in the format for a while, the selectors felt his experience was needed for India’s upcoming 5-Test England tour next month.

TOI has learned that Kohli had a talk with Agarkar even before Rohit Sharma, who retired from Tests last week, discussed his plans with the board and selectors. While with Rohit, the selectors and team management were contemplating moving on from him in Tests, in Kohli’s case it was difficult to change his mind.

When the Indian team was struggling in Australia late last year, it appeared Kohli was amenable to again being at the wheel. He was more involved in decision-making on the field and regularly addressing huddles, like he used to when he was the captain. That led to talk of handing him the interim Test captaincy even as the selectors tried to bide time to find a full-time captain. BCCI sources said such an idea had been floated informally.

The selectors’ planning was thrown off when Kohli communicated his thoughts to Agarkar during IPL. Even after Australia tour, he appeared very eager to carry on for a little longer. His fitness can never be questioned. He even turned up for a Ranji match for Delhi in Jan.

“But he revealed the format was taking a toll, and it was getting difficult to go through another big and long Test series. He just didn’t feel right about continuing. BCCI asked him to take his time and revisit his decision. But he refused to back down,” board sources said.