Unarguably one of the most talismanic cricketers to have ever played the game, Virat Kohli bid farewell to the Test format on Monday, sending the entire fraternity in shock. While the decision left quite a few surprised, those in the know suggest that the batter had made up his mind long ago. With a new World Test Championship cycle starting, Virat knew that some things had to change if he and the team had to pull themselves out of the rut they had recently been in. As per reports, Kohli wanted a new challenge, the opportunity of anchoring the team in this phase of transition by returning to the captaincy role. But the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) had other ideas.
In a report by Cricbuzz, it has been learned that Kohli took the decision to quit Test cricket as he as informed of the management's decision to give the captaincy responsibility to a younger player. He wanted new challenges for his own self-discovery and resurgence. Under the current management, he was reportedly not getting the freedom, environment, and kind of vibes he wanted. In comparison to the previous dressing room, the atmosphere in the current setup was a lot different.
After a poor run of form with the bat, spanning roughly three years, in which Virat had only scored runs at an average of 32, the 36-year-old wanted a fresh challenge. Without it, unfortunately, he simply didn't have a reason to continue his journey in the whites.
The report has also claimed that Kohli spoke to Ravi Shastri, the former Indian team head coach and a dear friend, before taking the final call. Virat also spoke to former BCCI secretary Jay Shah, but it isn't yet known to what extent the chat materialised. There was to be a meeting between him and Rajeev Shukla, one of the most influential figures on the board, but the Indo-Pak political scenario couldn't create enough time and space for that to happen.
The report also states that Virat spoke to BCCI chief selector Ajit Agarkar at least twice on the phone in recent times. But none of these conversations managed to change his mind on retiring from the red-ball format.
Had the BCCI decided to start the transition process after the England series, both Virat and Rohit couldn't have continued and bid farewell after the 5-match assignment. But, the board wanted to start to new cycle with a definite game plan. Hence, a call had to be made.