Kohli’s decision to retire from Tests came ahead of the England tour.
India’s star batter Virat Kohli announced his retirement from the traditional format of the game in May this year.
Kohli’s decision to call it quits came ahead of the ongoing England tour. It was reported that the BCCI officials were in talks with the stalwart to make him change his mind, but they couldn’t succeed.
Taking to Instagram, the 36-year-old shared a story, in which he mentioned that the decision to give up the format he loved most was "not easy, but it feels right".
Nearly two months later, Kohli opened up on his decision to retire from Test cricket in a charity event for former India cricketer Yuvraj Singh's foundation, YouWeCan.
The entire Indian cricket team, including head coach Gautam Gambhir, was in attendance at the event. The gathering also included legends like Ravi Shastri, Sachin Tendulkar, Kevin Pietersen, Brian Lara among others.
When host Gaurav Kapoor said that everyone misses Virat a lot on the field, this is when the Indian talisman broke his silence on Test retirement
"I just coloured my beard two days ago. You know it's time when you are colouring your beard every four days," said Kohli, as quoted by Times of India.
Kohli shares a deep bond with Shastri, and he once again thanked the former India head coach for shielding him during the early days, helping him become the cricketer he went on to be.
"Honestly, if I wasn't working with him... what happened in Test cricket wouldn't have been possible. The clarity which we had together is very hard to find. It's everything for cricketers to grow in their careers. Even he hadn't backed me the way he did... those press conferences where he took the bullets from the front line. Things would have been different and I always have respect and regard for him, for being a massive part of my cricketing journey," Kohli said.
Virat also reminisced his early days in the Indian team when he shared the dressing room with the likes of Yuvraj, Harbhajan Singh and Zaheer Khan.
"We shared a very good bond both on and off the field. I met him for the first time during a North Zone tournament in Bangalore. When I started playing for India, him, bhajju pa and Zaheer Khan took me under their wings. Really helped me grow as a player, made me comfortable in the dressing room. Lot of fun times off the field and made me aware of the lifestyle of getting to the top. These are the bonds I would cherish for the rest of my life. Watching him in the World Cup was very special and what we got to know after that was a shock. Being so close to him... we had no idea. Then his battle with cancer and again the champion that he is... coming on top and making a comeback to the team when I was leading the team.
Kohli then recalled the home ODI series against England in 2017, where Yuvraj and MS Dhoni both slammed centuries after the Indian top-order perished cheaply in Cuttack.
"I clearly remember we played a game against England in Cuttack. There was a 2017 series we played at home and top-order got out early and Yuvi pa got 150 I think and MS scored 110 or something. I still remember telling KL or someone that this is like childhood days watching on big tv... I have a lot of love and respect for him. It's a pleasure being here and I won't do it for any other person but him," he remarked.