Former spinner Monty Panesar has expressed surprise at Team India batter Virat Kohli’s decision to retire ahead of the five-match Test series in the English summer. Panesar said that everyone, including England, expected Kohli to play in the first series of the World Test Championship (WTC) 2025-27.
Virat Kohli announced his retirement from Test cricket on May 12. The right-handed batter, who was expected to feature in the upcoming series in England, chose to end his career in the longest format. His final Test match came during India’s 3-1 defeat to Australia in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25.
I Think Virat Kohli Was Definitely Going to Play – Monty Panesar
Speaking to Hindustan Times, Monty Panesar said that Kohli might have been told that if he failed to perform well in the first few Tests, he wouldn’t be guaranteed a spot for the entire series. Panesar added that this could have influenced Kohli’s decision to retire.
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“I think he was definitely going to play. I think England were expecting, everyone was expecting him to play. I’m surprised he’s kind of like bailed out,” Panesar told Hindustan Times.
“But maybe the fact that outside off-stump, he’s just thinking, well, you know, they may have had a word with him. They said, look, if you don’t score well in the first couple of Test matches, don’t expect to play all the five. So, he’s probably thinking, well, I’ll just call it a day and give the youngsters a go,” he added.
Virat Kohli Ended his Test Career as India’s Fourth-Highest Run-Scorer
Virat Kohli announced his retirement from Test cricket shortly after Rohit Sharma did the same on May 7. Earlier, legendary off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin had also retired during the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy after the third Test in Brisbane.
Kohli concluded his Test career as India’s fourth-highest run-scorer, with 9,230 runs in 123 matches at an average of 46.85, including 30 centuries and 31 fifties. The 36-year-old is India’s most successful Test captain, leading the team to 40 wins in 68 matches, along with 11 draws.
The Delhi-born cricketer had already retired from T20 internationals following India’s 2024 T20 World Cup win. Kohli will now focus on the ODI format, aiming to feature in the ODI World Cup 2027.
Virat Kohli Struggled for Runs in the New Zealand and Australia Series
Virat Kohli endured significant challenges with his batting during India’s recent Test series against New Zealand at home and in Australia. India lost both series and failed to qualify for the World Test Championship final.
Despite a promising start to the Australian tour with a century in Perth, Kohli’s overall performance was underwhelming. The ace batter scored just 190 runs across nine innings at an average of 23.75.
Team India recently announced an 18-player squad for their upcoming England tour, beginning on June 20 in Leeds. Virat previously captained India on two tours of England. During the 2021 series, Kohli led India to a 2-1 advantage after four matches, but the team lost the rescheduled fifth Test.
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