Virat Kohli reportedly talked to BCCI chief selector Ajit Agarkar about not receiving freedom in the new Team India set up under new head coach Gautam Gambhir before announcing his Test retirement on May 12.

Virat recognized that if he and the team were to break out of their recent slump, some things had to change as a new World Test Championship cycle got underway. According to reports, Kohli desired a fresh challenge—the chance to lead the team through this period of change by taking back the captaincy. However, the BCCI, or Board of Control for Cricket in India, had different plans.

As per the Cricbuzz report, after learning that the management had chosen to assign a younger player as captain, Kohli chose to retire from Test cricket. He wanted fresh challenges for his own self-discovery and revival.

He was apparently not receiving the independence, atmosphere, and vibrations he desired under the current management. The atmosphere in the new dressing room was very different from the one in the old one.

The 36-year-old desired a new challenge after a bad run of batting form that lasted for about three years, during which he only scored runs at an average of 32. Unfortunately, he had no reason to continue his voyage in the whites without it.

Furthermore, the report stated that Kohli spoke to Ravi Shastri before taking the call to retire from Tests. Virat also talked with Jay Shah, the former secretary of the BCCI, though it's unclear how much of it actually happened.

One of the most powerful people on the board, Rajeev Shukla, was supposed to meet with him, but the Indo-Pak political situation did not allow for adequate time or space for that to occur.

Additionally, according to the source, Virat has recently been on the phone at least twice with Ajit Agarkar, the chief selector for the BCCI. However, none of these discussions were able to alter his decision to leave the red-ball format.

(Cricbuzz report)