Virat Kohli Feared Getting Humiliated In England? Real Reason Behind Test Retirement Revealed

A few weeks prior to the much awaited five-match Test series against England, star batsman Virat Kohli declared his retirement from Test cricket on May 12. The reasons for his departure have been the subject of much speculation, with some suggesting that Kohli might have been afraid of losing his spot in the Indian Test team.

Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Rahul Dravid, and VVS Laxman were among the Indian cricketers who played their final Test matches in Australia. Although none of them made an official retirement announcement at the time, it was thought that the BCCI had pressured them to resign in order to keep them from being fired.

Virat Kohli’s Batting Form in Tests Dipped Post-Pandemic

After a difficult tour of England in 2014, Kohli returned in the 2018 and 2021 series. The COVID-19 outbreak halted his progress and disrupted his plans to become the only Indian captain to win Test matches in both Australia and England.

Kohli's performance deteriorated after 2020, as he only managed three hundreds in 69 innings and an average of 30.72 in his final 39 Test matches. By the end of his career, his overall Test average had fallen from the mid-50s in the 2010s to 46.85.

Kohli scored 9,230 runs at an average of 46.85 in 210 innings, finishing as India's fourth-highest run scorer in Test cricket. Between 2014 and 2022, he captained India in 68 Test matches, leading the squad to 40 wins.

Virat Kohli feared he might be humiliated and hence decided to retire from Tests

Virat Kohli chose to retire from Test cricket on his own terms. He was worried that he might be dropped if he didn't perform well in the forthcoming England series. Before the team management could take any action against him, Kohli decided to leave.

As a top cricket player, Kohli deserved respect, according to a senior BCCI official, and if he had lost in England, detractors would have demanded his retirement, nevertheless.

“Virat is the biggest star of the current generation of cricketers, and he can’t be seen treated with disregard. If he did not score runs for India in England, the entire anti-Virat entourage would speak about his poor form and would even demand his Test retirement,” a top BCCI official told CricBlogger.

Kohli has been batting well in IPL 2025

Kohli has been in top form in IPL 2025 for RCB. He has scored 505 runs in 11 games at an impressive average of 63.12 and a strike rate of 143.46, with seven half-centuries.

RCB’s recent game against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in Bengaluru on Saturday was abandoned due to rain. The team has won eight out of 12 matches. They are at the top of the points table with 17 points.

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