According to former India head coach Ravi Shastri, Virat Kohli's departure from the game's longest format was primarily due to the fact that he was "mentally fried."
Earlier this week, the Indian great, who played 123 Test matches for his country, declared his retirement. Days before India and England's forthcoming five-match Test series, Kohli made his announcement.
Kohli fell 770 runs shy of the 10,000-run milestone at the end of his Test career. In the longest format, he is India's fourth-highest run scorer, trailing only Sunil Gavaskar, Rahul Dravid, and Sachin Tendulkar.
The 36-year-old is also the most successful Indian Test captain, having led the team to 40 wins in 68 Tests during his tenure.
Shastri said Kohli was mentally fatigued as he had a lot to deal with under his captaincy tenure with India.
“I think it was more mental fatigue. We all know how fit he is, and it can take its toll. You know, don't forget you mentioned his captaincy. When you captain a country for five-six-seven years across formats of the game, and a country which has a following like India does. 1.5 billion, the population.
Everyone loves cricket. It's like religion, and to do the job for that length of time. It will take its toll whether you like it or not. It's a different lifestyle, you at times have to leave your game on the side. It's press conferences,” Shastri said on the official broadcast of the RCB v KKR match in Bengaluru on May 17.
Shastri also believes that Kohli had a lot to cope with while he was captain because it wasn't only about making choices on the field. When leading the team, an Indian captain must do things for the BCCI and ICC, according to the former coach who led India to victory in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in 2018–19 and 2020–21.
"Things you have to do for the media. Things you have to do for the BCCI. Things you have to do for the ICC when you're playing ICC tournaments as a captain. It doubles up, triples up at times, and then the press conferences on great days. When you had great days on the field. I mean, when your back is up the is to the wall, and then you've got to go out there and speak and answer the questions after a while, you know, it takes its toll," he said.
At that point, Shastri claimed that he believed Kohli was psychologically exhausted due to the onset of weariness. He therefore made the decision to discontinue his illustrious Test career.
"So, I thought he was mentally fried. That fatigue was there, that probably the hunger was not the same, and probably sometimes your mind tells you to know, 'Will you be able to play with the same kind of intensity, same kind of passion?' Same kind of hunger that you exhibited three or four years ago. And when your mind tells you no, then it doesn't matter what your body is thinking. It's the mind," said Shastri.
Shastri had previously told the ICC that Kohli had spoken to him before declaring his retirement from Test cricket. In the Border-Gavaskar Trophy match against Australia, Kohli's final Test match, he amassed 190 runs in 9 innings, including a century.
