Virat Kohli may not have received the support he expected from the BCCI and selectors, according to former India cricketer Mohammad Kaif, which is why he ended his Test career immediately.

On Monday, Kohli, who amassed 9,230 runs at an average of 46.85 in 123 games, announced on Instagram that he will be retiring from Test cricket immediately. Five days after India captain Rohit Sharma announced his retirement from Test cricket, he made his decision.

“I think he wanted to continue in the format. There must have been some internal talks with the BCCI, the selectors may have cited his form in the past 5-6 years, and told him his spot in the team may no longer be there. We will never find out what happened, it is very difficult to guess what actually took place behind the scenes.

But given the last-minute decision, having played the Ranji trophy, I definitely think he wanted to come back in the upcoming Tests. The developments in the last few weeks, he may not have gotten the support he thought he would get from BCCI and selectors which he may not have gotten," Mohammad Kaif was quoted by IANS.

Virat Kohli had struggled in Test format in recent times with 90-odd runs in three Tests against New Zealand at home and then 190 runs against Australia in five tests down under, despite a century in first match in Perth.

Kaif felt Kohli being in a hurry to score runs in Australia was also an indication that his Test career was coming to a swift end.

“In the Border Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25, he looked in a hurry to score runs. You have to stay out for hours and grind in Test cricket, which he has done in the past, but the constant edging of the ball moving away from him while attempting to drive, made me feel his patience was a bit less.

Maybe he was thinking ‘I am in the last phase of my career what’s the point of scoring a gritty century, there used to be a different level of patience on display from him before, he used to leave the balls, take his time, tire the bowlers and then took them down but I did not see that from him in Australia’,” Kaif added.

“That one method of dismissal at the slips perhaps shows that he was not ready to spend hours at the crease. The communication from BCCI and the self-realization in red-ball cricket may have led to the decision," he elaborated.

While Kaif was certain about Rohit retiring from Tests after making himself unavailable for the Sydney Test earlier this year, he still expressed surprise over Kohli leaving the longer format.

“On the other hand, Virat’s decision left me confused. Yes, in his Test career, his numbers have come down in the past few years, but a 36-year-old fit Virat Kohli could have come back like he has proved before.

It felt he would play for a few years, guiding the youth players. This is a very private decision, he always used to say that it is his favourite format. If you look at any interview of his he always used to ring praises of the Test format.

He used to enjoy it because he used to love the gruelling challenge and he often encouraged the youngsters to follow his route to keep Test cricket from dying. He used to tell youngsters to earn the Test cap and it highly benefited Indian cricket," concluded Kaif.

Virat Kohli retired with 9230 runs in 123 Tests with 30 centuries and 31 fifties at an average of 48.65 and highest score of 254*.

(IANS inputs)