Kohli might need retired attributable to “extra of cricket”: Ex-India star

Former Indian cricketer Syed Kirmani opined that Virat Kohli’s decision to retire from Tests was perhaps because of the excess of cricket he was forced to play. The former Indian captain followed the footsteps of Rohit Sharma by announcing his decision to retire from the longest format of the game earlier this week. India cricket team are now heading into a new era, with the veteran trio of Rohit, Kohli and Ashwin not being a part of the team any longer.

What led to Kohli’s retirement?

Speaking to news agency PTI, Kirmani reckoned that records did not matter to Kohli and that he had faced no pressure while making the decision. He added that it was perhaps the excess of cricket that had forced Virat to make that decision.

“I don’t feel he is after records. It might be the excess of cricket that led to this. Records don’t matter to him. I don’t think he had any sort of pressure on him while making this decision,” Kirmani said.

Further, Kirmani reckoned that Kohli should have played for longer, adding that he had a lot more cricket left in him. Virat’s decision to retire from Tests still remains a mystery. Over the last few days, a lot of contradictory reports have emerged – ranging from the BCCI requesting him to reconsider his decision to the board dubbing it as his personal decision.

“Questions like why he’s retiring, or whether he’s out of form or under pressure, don’t make any sense. It’s a player’s individual decision,” Kirmani said.

Kohli calls it a day in Tests

Taking to social media platform, Kohli penned a note announcing his decision to step away from Tests. His decision comes just ahead of the India vs England Test series, which also marks the start of the new World Test Championship (WTC) campaign. India will now be without the services of two of their most-experienced players – Rohit and Kohli.

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