30 May 2025 : What a sight Virat Kohli was last night in Mullanpur. Always right up in the face of the opposition and celebration every Punjab Kings wicket like it was his. But while vintage Kohli was a delight to see, it was also upsetting. Upsetting because it won’t ever happen in Test cricket. Kohli has just one match left before he disappears for at least four months. His retirement from Test cricket means we would next see him on the cricket ground on October 19, when India travel to Australia for a limited-overs tour, comprising three ODIs and five T20Is.
It’s been 18 days, but the fact that Kohli will no longer play Tests for India ever again is still tough to digest. But then again, if one carefully followed last night’s IPL match between the Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Punjab Kings, the reason was evident. That dreaded ball outside off-stump. As it turned out, in early April, Kohli reached out to tell BCCI and its chairman of selectors Ajit Agarkar, that he wants to retire from Test cricket. And although the decision was heavily debated, at 36, there was no reason for India’s most successful Test captain to take that step.
Or was there?
Well, as tough a pill as it may be to swallow, Kohli accidentally revealed the reason behind his decision. Kohli scored a brisk 12 – a boundary off the first ball to open his account – he was out edging a ball outside off stump from Josh Hazlewood to Josh Inglis. Fans were upset to see that Kohli, who’s been plagued by this issue repeatedly in Test cricket, fell to it in white-ball formats too. Below are some of the reactions.
Summary:
During RCB’s IPL Qualifier 1, Kohli’s dismissal highlighted struggles that influenced his Test retirement. Fans agree it was a fair decision to focus on limited-overs cricket.