'He felt he could not be up to the standards' - Ajit Agarkar breaks silence on Virat Kohli's Test retirement

Chief selector Ajit Agarkar has opened up on Virat Kohli's Test retirement. Agarkar revealed that Kohli reached out to key members of the BCCI in early April and informed them regarding his decision of retiring from Tests. The former Indian cricketer stated that Kohli felt that he could no longer match the benchmark set by him over the years.

"Virat reached out early April and said he wants to finish. We've seen him give 200% to every ball that he plays, even when he is not batting or he's in the field. He probably felt that he had given everything that he had and if he can't keep up to the standards that he set for himself over the years, and how good he has been, and maybe it was time for him. It has come from him. You've got to respect that. They have earned that respect, both of them," Agarkar said.

"As all great players are, the one thing there is, they are true to themselves, and he was in that conversation. So you've got to respect that. We'll obviously miss [Kohli], when you've got a guy who's played 123 Test matches, 30 Test hundreds, it's going to be tough to fill," he added.

Agarkar further clarified that the players take their own decision and that he or any member from the BCCI are not linked with such personal calls. Notably, Kohli's Test retirement came days after Rohit called time from the longest format. Prior to that, it was expected that the two stalwarts would play the upcoming five-match series against England.

"Needless to say, Rohit has been a leader over the last couple of years since he started leading in the Test matches. It is a new cycle, so it is an opportunity to build something for us as well. That's why I think we've got to show them the respect that they want instead of speculating too many things. It is sometimes a personal call with players and you've got to respect that and their performances over the years have shown in the amount of games that they've won for India.

"It is someone else's chance now but there's no doubt we'll miss them. I mean all three of them and [Mohammed] Shami. In Test cricket he's been incredible. So four guys like that not being part of the squad is going to make it a little bit tougher but it's an opportunity for other guys," he said.

The 18-member squad named by the BCCI includes Shubman Gill as the new skipper of the red-ball unit. India A will play three four-day games (include one intra-squad game against India) before the series commencement on June 20.