Mohammad Kaif's take on Virat Kohli's Test retirement: ‘he might not have been selected by BCCI due to his poor form’

Virat Kohli announced his exit from Test cricket on May 12 by posting a heartfelt note on his Instagram handle. The news spread like wildfire and speculations were made on the reasons for his retirement ahead of Team India's new World Test Championship (WTC) cycle.

While Kohli's Ranji coach Sarandeep Singh expressed shock by saying that the 36-year-old wanted to smash centuries in India's upcoming five-match Test series against England, there were some reports suggesting Kohli willfully took the decision to opt-out. Former India cricketer, Mohammad Kaif opened up on the matter.

Mohammad Kaif on Virat Kohli's decision

According to Mohammad Kaif, Virat Kohli was well-prepared for the upcoming England series, taking into consideration his dedication to playing in the Ranji Trophy game. However, he might not have been selected by the BCCI due to his poor form in the previous 5-6 years.

“I think he wanted to continue in the format. There must have been some internal talks with the BCCI, Kaif expressed.

"The selectors may have cited his form in the past 5-6 years and told him his spot in the team may no longer be there. We will never find out what happened, it is difficult to know what took place behind the scenes,” he added while speaking to NDTV.

Mohammad Kaif of Virat Kohli's for Tests in Border-Gavaskar Trophy

According to Mohammad Kaif, Virat Kohli was less patient and more in a hurry during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia.

"Maybe he was thinking 'I am in the last phase of my career what's the point of scoring a century, there used to be a different level of patience on display from him before, but I did not see that from him in Australia,'" Kaif said.

Virat Kohli's stats in Tests

Virat Kohli made his Test debut against West Indies in the year 2011. In his glorious career, the star batter has played 210 innings in the Test format and has amassed 9230 runs, with his highest individual score of 254*. He has smashed 30 centuries and 31 fifties in 123 matches that he was a part of, making him one the fourth-highest run-getter for India in red-ball cricket.

Among all opponents, he has scored the most runs against Australia. He has accumulated 2232 runs against the Kangaroos. The year 2018 stood out as his best, with Kohli smashing 1322 runs, the most he scored in a single calendar year.