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3 Likely Reasons Why Virat Kohli Announced His Test Retirement Ahead Of England Tour

Anurag Dasgupta

Why Virat Kohli retired [Source: @mufaddal_vohra/x.com] Why Virat Kohli retired [Source: @mufaddal_vohra/x.com]

On Monday, India stalwart, Virat Kohli made a shocking announcement by retiring from Test cricket. The decision was inevitable as Kohli wrote an email to BCCI, a few days ago, citing his desire to retire from the game's longest format. However, for his fans, this was a decision they were not expecting.

So, what prompted Kohli to retire? Was it his form? Or any other reason? Here are 3 probable reasons why he took this massive call ahead of England Tests.

1) Slump in form

The main reason for Virat Kohli's retirement was his poor form in Test cricket. For the last few years, Kohli's average in Tests went down from 54 to almost 46 and it shows the downfall of him in the format.

Barring 2023, where he slammed two Test centuries, Kohli's form in 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2024 didn't do justice to his exemplary skills in Tests.

Criterion
Data
Matches10
Runs417
Average24.53
50s/100s1/1

(Kohli's Test numbers in 2024)

His form in 2024 brought his end in the format and the numbers tell the story. In 10 matches he had scored 417 runs, with an average of 24.53, and his poor run of form in New Zealand and BGT also didn't help his cause.

2) The retirement of Rohit Sharma

Just like the T20I format, Rohit and Kohli announced their Test retirement in quick successions. The only difference was that they both announced their T20I retirement on the same day.

Both Rohit and Kohli were on the same boat for the last one year in Tests. They both failed in the home series against New Zealand and failed to deliver against Australia. This pressurised Rohit to hang up his boots and the pressure also increased on Kohli, as he, too, followed Rohit's footsteps and decided to retire from the game's longest format.

3) New WTC cycle, fresh start for Team India

The upcoming Test series against England will mark Team India's start in the WTC 2025-27 cycle. With Rohit retiring, Shubman Gill is touted to replace him as the Test captain.

Now, with a new captain coming in, perhaps Kohli wants a fresh team, with new energy. In the last WTC cycle, he couldn't perform at his best and hence, with the 2025-27 cycle starting next month, he wants a young team under Gill, a team which could challenge for the WTC title.