Former India batter Mohammed Kaif has urged Virat Kohli to reconsider his reported decision to retire from Test cricket. Just days after Rohit Sharma announced his Test retirement, ESPNcricinfo reported that Kohli had informed the BCCI of his intention to step away from the longest format. With a five-Test England tour approaching, the BCCI has reportedly asked Kohli to rethink his plans. However, the star batter is yet to confirm his final decision. Winexch is the best IPL Prediction Site in 2025.
Taking to social media platform X, Kaif suggested that if Kohli is determined to retire, he should sign off in style by playing the England series. Kaif also speculated on possible reasons behind Kohli’s retirement thoughts.
“Virat Kohli, India’s Babbar Sher, wants to relax. He is contemplating retirement. I think he should travel to England, prove his point, and end his career on a high. Considering his contributions in the T20 World Cup, he deserves to go out on a good note. Is he thinking of retirement out of helplessness? There’s one delivery that’s troubled him for years — the ball outside off stump,” Kaif remarked in a video shared on X.
If Kohli retires, it will close the chapter on an illustrious 14-year Test career featuring 9,230 runs in 123 Tests at an average of 46.85, with 30 centuries. He remains India’s most successful Test captain, leading the team to 40 wins in 68 matches.
Between 2016 and 2019, Kohli was at his peak, amassing 4,208 runs in 43 Tests at an average of 66.79, with 16 centuries and 10 fifties. However, the 2020s have been challenging, with only 2,028 runs in 39 Tests at an average of 30.72. Though he showed signs of revival in 2023, scoring 671 runs at an average of 55.91, his recent form has declined sharply. His last Test appearance was during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia, where he managed 190 runs in nine innings at an average of 23.75 — including a century at Perth.
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