Sarandeep claimed that Kohli was motivated to travel to England for India’s five-Test series.
The 36-year-old took to social media to confirm his decision. In an Instagram post, Kohli wrote: "It’s been 14 years since I first wore the baggy blue in Test cricket. Honestly, I never imagined the journey this format would take me on. It’s tested me, shaped me, and taught me lessons I’ll carry for life.
“There’s something deeply personal about playing in whites. The quiet grind, the long days, the small moments that no one sees but that stay with you forever.”
Virat Kohli further stated that the decision to call it quits wasn't an easy one, but it felt 'right' to him.
"As I step away from this format, it's not easy – but it feels right. I've given it everything I had, and it's given me back so much more than I could've hoped for. 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."
"I’ll always look back at my Test career with a smile. #269, signing off," he concluded.
Meanwhile, Delhi head coach Sarandeep Singh has expressed surprise over Virat Kohli’s decision, claiming that the talisman was motivated to travel to England for India’s five-Test series and wanted to hit ‘4-5 centuries’.
“I spoke to Virat a few weeks ago when he came to play the Ranji match and asked if he’d play county cricket to prepare for the England series. He said, ‘I’ll play 2 India A matches in England,’ and added, ‘I want to hit 4-5 centuries in the England series, like I did in 2018’," Sarandeep was quoted as saying on Star Sports.
In another interview with PTI, Sarandeep Singh questioned the timing of Kohli’s Test retirement. He also mentioned that the batting stalwart was preparing hard to play the England series.
“Yes, definitely, Virat Kohli’s sudden retirement has surprised everyone right now. We were not even thinking that he was going to take retirement from Test cricket. And you can say that he’s 700-800 runs behind (10,000 runs) but it’s not about that. We need to think about what happened that he took retirement so early. There was nothing indicative of that before. The stature of Virat Kohli is too big, and he didn’t get a good send-off," Sarandeep said.
“There were no signs of him retiring… Even at that time he was talking about the England series, the Test matches coming, that he was going to play there and he said this time he’ll be very much prepared," Singh added.
While Virat Kohli has 9230 runs and 30 centuries to his name from 123 Tests, he hasn't had a fruitful time in the longest format of late.
During India’s last Test series against Australia, Kohli slammed a second innings hundred (100*) at Perth but managed to amass only 90 runs in his other eight innings combined.
The age-old problem of fishing outside the off stump led to Kohli’s downfall during the BGT 2024-25. As a result, his career Test average dropped to 46.85.