When Virat Kohli, a star player for India, announced his retirement from Tests in May 2025, it stunned the globe. Having played 123 Tests, in which he scored 9230 runs at an average of 46.85, including 30 centuries, the right-hander announced his retirement from Test cricket. Given that India is prepared to visit England for a crucial five-Test series, the choice to abandon the longest format stunned everyone. Although Kohli has been out of shape in the longest format for the past few years, many people believed that India required his experience in the UK.

Greg Chappell, a former Australian hitter, believes that Kohli quit playing Tests because of the mental strain the sport has put on him. The 36-year-old chose to go because he had lost the mental sharpness necessary to excel at the top of his game, in his opinion.

In the longest format of the game, Kohli, the former captain of India, averaged only a little over 30. In the last five years, he has only managed four Test centuries, and his poor play has caused his average to decline from 55 to nearly 46.

"Kohli, who used to be the epitome of intensity and technical confidence, recently left Test cricket. His choice was influenced by the increasing awareness that he could no longer muster the mental focus that had once made him so dangerous, rather than by a decrease in his ability. Chappell wrote in his ESPNCricinfo piece that at the highest level, the body falters unless the mind is clear and decisive.

“Doubt starts to set in the bones, disrupting decision-making, impairing footwork, and eroding the spontaneity vital for elite performance. Kohli's retirement serves as a reminder that form is more dependent on the mind than on technique, Chapell said.

Kohli's terrible performance during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy

The Border-Gavaskar Trophy match against Australia, where Rohit Sharma and company were defeated 1-3, was the last time Virat Kohli played for India in whites.

With a century in the Perth Test, Kohli got off to a great start in the series. But the star batter's performance in the series opener was followed by a decline, and he ended up scoring only 190 runs in 9 innings.

He was dismissed in a similar manner in each of his eight dismissals, as he continued to nick deliveries that were pitched far outside of his off-stump. If Kohli hadn't scored a century in Perth, his stats in the series would have been much worse.

Following the BCCI's instructions, Kohli also participated in the Ranji Trophy match for Delhi against Railways. Because he was playing domestic cricket, everyone thought Kohli would be traveling to the UK to play the five-match series against England.

But Kohli ended his Test career only a few days before the team was revealed. Just days prior to Kohli's choice, Rohit Sharma had also given up playing Test cricket. The longest format of the game will now be played in India without its two most experienced batsmen.

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