India’s star batter Virat Kohli announced his retirement from Test cricket on May 12, 2025. His decision to call it quits came ahead of the recently held England tour.

Kohli was expected to travel to UK for the five-Test series that marked the beginning of India’s new WTC cycle. It was also reported that the BCCI officials were in talks with the talisman to make him change his mind, but they couldn’t succeed.

While Tiwary maintained that he does not know the exact reason behind Virat's decision, it seems to have come as he wasn't feeling 'wanted' by the team in the new setup.

Though the exact reason behind Kohli’s Test retirement is only known to him, former India cricketer Manoj Tiwary feels the decision may have come as the seasoned campaigner wasn't feeling 'wanted' by the team in the new setup.

"No way. So he could have easily played for another three years minimum and four years. It was very surprising and shocking for all the cricket fans, including me as well, because all we knew was that he's so physically fit and he was preparing himself for the England series," Tiwary said on CricTracker.

"I don't know what happened. What is the story behind the scenes? I think he was not feeling like he was wanted in Team India. Only he can say. I think he will not come out and ever say this thing in a public forum because the human he has become, he has evolved as a human being, I think he is very happy with what God has given to him. He is becoming spiritual as well. When someone becomes spiritual, they just leave all these things aside and focus on the present. They don't want to talk about the past. He has evolved as a human being; I don't think he will come forward and ever say what has happened behind the scenes," he added.

"But as a cricket lover, things that are happening around Team India, the cricketers like us who know a little bit, we all know what's happening behind the scenes. I think he did," Tiwary continued.

Virat Kohli, who made his Test debut in 2011, played an instrumental role in India's red-ball resurgence over the past decade with his aggressive captaincy, prolific batting and unmatched intensity on the field.

Kohli led his country in 68 Test matches and suffered defeat in only 17 of them. With 40 wins and 11 draws, he boasts a remarkable win percentage of 58.82, making him the most successful Test captain in India's history.

Kohli ended his Test career with 9230 runs from 123 matches at an average of 46.85, including 30 centuries and 31 fifties, with the highest score of 254.