‘He felt he could not be up to the standards’ – Ajit Agarkar breaks silence on Virat Kohli’s Test retirement

Chief selector Ajit Agarkar has opened up on Virat Kohli‘s Test retirement. Agarkar revealed that Kohli reached out to key members of the BCCI in early April and informed them regarding his decision of retiring from Tests. The former Indian cricketer stated that Kohli felt that he could no longer match the benchmark set by him over the years.

“Virat reached out (to the BCCI/selection committee) in early April and he felt he had given everything he had. Seen him give 200% every ball he plays even when he’s not batting or on the field. If he felt he could not be up to the standards that he has set, you have got to respect that,” stated Agarkar while speaking to the media during when he announced India’s squad for the upcoming five-match tour of England,” Agarkar said.

Agarkar further clarified that the players take their own decision and that he or any member from the BCCI are not linked with such personal calls.

“When somebody takes a call (to retire), it is not up to me. It’s come from him. Retirement is a personal call. It’s a new WTC (World Test Championship) cycle and you are looking at all scenarios to help build a team,” added Agarkar.

Notably, Kohli’s Test retirement came days after Rohit called time from the longest format. Prior to that, it was expected that the two stalwarts would play the upcoming five-match series against England.

The 18-member squad named by the BCCI includes Shubman Gill as the new skipper of the red-ball unit. India A will play three four-day games (include one intra-squad game against India) before the series commencement on June 20.

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