Virat Kohli accidentally reveals why he retired from Test cricket during RCB’s IPL Qualifier 1, fans agree: ‘Fair call’

If people still wondered why Virat Kohli retired from Test cricket at 36, the RCB batter himself gave a glimpse of it last night in Mullanpur.

What a sight Virat Kohli was last night in Mullanpur. Always right up in the face of the opposition and celebrating 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 again. 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.

The Shot That Summed It Up

It’s been 18 days since the announcement, but the fact that Kohli will no longer play Tests for India is still hard to digest. However, a closer look at last night’s IPL match between Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Punjab Kings revealed a subtle hint. That dreaded ball outside the off-stump. Kohli, who opened with a boundary, fell to a familiar nemesis—edging a delivery from Josh Hazlewood to Josh Inglis.

This flaw—reaching out to balls outside off—has been Kohli’s Achilles heel in Test cricket. Despite several efforts to overcome it, especially during the 2018 England tour, age and slowing reflexes have caught up. That moment last night seemed symbolic, almost like a confirmation of why Kohli felt it was time to move on from the longest format.

A Technical Decline or a Strategic Exit?

Kohli has been dismissed to balls outside off more than 20 times in Tests, including all eight dismissals in Australia during his last tour. In the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, he remained unbeaten on 100 in the second innings at Perth, but on the rest of the occasions, edged out similarly. His final dismissal in Test cricket—to Scott Boland at second slip—was met with visible frustration, smashing his bat on his pads and muttering, “I am done.”

His once-mighty bottom hand that helped dominate bowlers began betraying him. It became more of a liability, especially against moving deliveries. Cricket history has seen this pattern before—Sourav Ganguly with short balls, MS Dhoni against spin, Joe Root with inswingers. For Kohli, it was the corridor of uncertainty outside off.

In hindsight, his decision to retire might be less shocking than it initially felt. It wasn’t just age, but perhaps an honest acknowledgment that his best in Tests was behind him. And while the fans may miss Kohli in whites, they also understand the reason—and maybe, just maybe, agree with it.

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