Question: Did Virat Kohli quit Test cricket on his own terms? Answer: Yes.
RevSportz understands that unlike Rohit Sharma, whose place was uncertain in the England-bound Test squad, Kohli was never given a nudge by chief selector Ajit Agarkar and/or head coach Gautam Gambhir. Transition in the Indian Test team has begun in earnest, but Kohli’s position, at least for the England series, wasn’t vulnerable.
So, why did the former India captain decide to hang up his Test boots only about a week before the team selection (likely on May 23) for the England tour? It is learnt that the BCCI’s 10-pointer SOPs, a particular clause in that to be precise, influenced Kohli’s decision.
After India’s 3-1 Test series defeat in Australia, the BCCI introduced the 10-pointer SOPs to change the dressing-room culture. One of the clauses put a limit on the duration families can spend with players on overseas tours. Under the new guidelines, players absent from India for more than 45 days can be joined by their partners and children (aged under 18) for up to a two-week period.
India’s five-Test series in England starts on June 20 at Leeds and ends on August 4 at The Oval. The tour duration is nearly two months. Now, Kohli had earlier expressed his dissatisfaction over the stricter SOPs. Speaking at a Royal Challengers Bengaluru event ahead of this year’s IPL, he had said: “If you ask any player, do you want your family to be around you all the time? They will be like, yes. I don’t want to go to my room and just sit alone and sulk. I want to be able to be normal. And then you can really treat your game as something that is a responsibility. You finish that responsibility and you come back to life.”
The silence after the roar. @imVkohli’s Test retirement leaves a void words can barely capture. A personal reflection on the icon who made whites feel magical again.
✍️@TrishaGhosal #ThankYouVirat #KingKohli #TestCrickethttps://t.co/dgbl6Ho1vB
— RevSportz Global (@RevSportzGlobal) May 12, 2025
BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia, however, made it clear that the cricket Board wouldn’t be altering its guidelines despite “some resentment or differing opinions”.
In that RCB event, Kohli had also spoken about how after every failure in Australia he was putting extra pressure on himself that was draining him out. Despite scoring a century in the first Test in Perth, Kohli returned from Down Under with 190 runs from nine innings at an average of 23.75.
Life at Kohli’s level has to be lonely with very few friends. His family has always been his support and solace, and sounding board. Also, he has a young family. Of course, Test retirement wasn’t immediately on his mind after returning from Australia. Else, he wouldn’t have played the Ranji Trophy match against Railways. But over the last couple of months, he probably gave it a serious thought. Sources in the know told RevSportz that about a month-and-a-half ago Kohli informed Agarkar that he was contemplating retiring from the longer format.
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When he officially communicated this to the BCCI, the Board officials requested him to have a rethink. From the broadcaster’s point of view also, losing the game’s biggest brand before a marquee series wasn’t an ideal scenario. But by Sunday evening, it became clear that Kohli wouldn’t change his mind. The release arrived in due course, via his personal handle on social media, on Monday morning.
Whether a relaxation in the ‘family clause’ in the 10-pointer SOPs would have changed Kohli’s mind is a matter of conjecture. The guidelines have Gambhir’s imprint and it is learnt that the head coach refused to budge, for in that case he ran the risk of losing control over the dressing room.
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Shardul Thakur tips his hat to Virat Kohli, saying that his former captain was ‘synonymous with Test cricket’.@BoriaMajumdar writes @imShard@imVkohli#ViratKohli #ViratKohliretirementhttps://t.co/mpcjatKkRB
— RevSportz Global (@RevSportzGlobal) May 12, 2025