Team India cricketer Virat Kohli set the social media ablaze after expressing his desire to quit from a format he loves the most - Test cricket. According to multiple reports, the right-hand batter has already informed the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) about his desire to quit Test cricket ahead of the team's five-match Test tour of England, starting June 20. However, the BCCI is just not ready to accept his decision and has asked him to reconsider.
For those who follow Kohli, they can vouch that he loves playing Test cricket the most. He has often told in several interviews about relishing playing the format, and enjoying the challenges that come with it. The 36-year-old is also one of the fittest cricketers to play the game, and fans feel it is too early for him to retire. However, Kohli feels its time to move on from Test cricket.
The decision might steam from the fact that the legendary batter has struggled for timing in Test cricket. In the last Border-Gavaskar Trophy Down Under against Australia, Virat Kohli could just manage to score 186 runs in five Test matches. He was also often out chasing the wide ball outside off stump.
Virat Kohli elaborates on his Test cricket retirement plans
A long time back, Kohli stated he might step away from the game if he does not have the same hunger and desire to play the sport again.
"I've woken up feeling with a sense of detachment from what I am doing, thinking that I do not want to do this. But that has been because of the excessive pressure that has been on me during a difficult phase. But still, I have had the ability to still tell myself, 'No, I will go out and try once more'," Kohli had said on Breakfast with Champions in 2018.
"The day you lose your will to go out and try once more, then you can't do anything, and no one can convince you. No chance. The motivation is about winning. The day I lose my passion, I will stop playing. I will never drag myself for more than my body can take," he added.
When Virat Kohli stated he would not play cricket if he was not contributing
The former India captain also shed light on how a significant contribution from him to the team might convince him to walk away from the game without even a second thought. However, there is no doubt that Kohli will go down as one of the great batters in Test cricket with 9230 runs in 123 Tests, with an average of 46.85.
Also Read: BCCI, please convince him to stay: Fans emotional on Virat Kohli's Test retirement
"The day I am standing on the field thinking, why am I doing this? When the passion to win is not there, when that energy to win is not there, then I won't be able to play. Then that will just be a participation thing where you have the skill to perform, so you are there in the team. But if I am not able to contribute to the team, I will not play," Kohli had remarked.
All eyes will be on Kohli if he reconsiders his tentative decision of Test retirement ahead of the England tour.
