Virat Kohli informed Agarkar about wanting to retire from Tests in April; BCCI's family policy didn't sit well: Report

Virat Kohli, who made the No.4 position his own in Tests after Sachin Tendulkar's retirement, decided to end his career in the longest format on Monday. Taking to Instagram, the 36-year-old posted a statement confirming his decision to bid adieu to his long-cherished format, Test cricket. According to a report in The Indian Express, Kohli decided to step away because he wanted to spend more time with his family. Virat Kohli shocked the world with his decision to retire from Tests on Monday.(PTI)

Kohli joined Rohit Sharma in stepping aside from Tests, leaving the Indian team in a transition phase heading into the five-match series against England, beginning June 20.

Kohli, who endured a horrid time in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia, played the Ranji Trophy match for Delhi against Railways earlier this year. His turning up for domestic cricket led to several believing that Kohli wanted to make the trip to the UK and represent India in the longest format.

However, his decision to retire from Tests on Monday shocked many, and fans have been questioning what might have led the senior batter to walk away.

After the loss in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, the BCCI also came up with a 10-point dossier. The board cracked the whip, and hence, a restriction was imposed on the amount of time a family could spend with the cricketer on an overseas tour. As per the diktat, the family could stay with the player for 14 days if a tour is more than 1.5 months.

As per the Indian Express, Virat Kohli texted the chairman of selectors Ajit Agarkar and a powerful administrator running Indian cricket in April to inform them about his desire to retire from Tests. He wanted to spend more time with his family, and this was the main factor in his decision-making.

However, the board asked Kohli not to make any " hasty decision" and to give the matter some thought. The report further states that Kohli did not change his mind, and he contacted the Indian cricket board again on May 7.

He was then again asked to reconsider his decision and wait before making his statement public, considering Operation Sindoor and the military conflict with Pakistan.

'Kohli's decision after ceasefire'

However, once the ceasefire between India and Pakistan was announced, Kohli told the BCCI bosses and selectors that he would make his statement public.

BCCI's decision to restrict family time on longer tours reportedly did not sit well with Kohli.

He had earlier also spoken about the same during an event in Bengaluru. “The role of the family is very difficult to explain to people, how grounding it is to just come back to your family every time you have something which is intense, which happens on the outside," he said.

“I don’t think people have an understanding of what value it brings. I don’t want to go to my room and just sit alone and sulk. I want to be able to be normal. Then you can really treat your game as something that is a responsibility," Kohli added.

Kohli made his Test debut in 2011 against the West Indies. Over the years, he emerged as the most successful Indian Test captain, winning 40 out of the 68 matches he led.

The 36-year-old also oversaw India's first-ever series win in Australia, leading the side to a 2-1 victory in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in 2018-19 tour.

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