Reports: Virat Kohli quit Test cricket due to lack of freedom given by Indian management

Cricketing fraternity bid farewell to India's legendary batter Virat Kohli, who stepped down from the Test format on Monday, May 12. He announced his retirement from Test cricket before the series against England. This will be the first series for both the sides that marks the commencement of the World Test Championship 2025-27 cycle, meaning there will be no Kohli in the whites for India ever again.

There have been several reports surrounding the retirement of the two-time world champion and what could be the reason behind taking this call. In a recent report, it was mentioned that as Virat was informed of the management’s decision of giving the leadership to a younger player but, the former India skipper did not seem pleased with the current environment of the management where he did not experience the same freedom in comparison to the previous dressing room.

According to Cricbuzz, it was also mentioned that Kohli had got in touch with former head coach Ravi Shastri and former BCCI secretary and current ICC chairman Jay Shah as well. However, the details and the content of these conversations have not materialised. The report further mentioned that the 36-year-old former Test skipper spoke to chief selector Ajit Agarkar at least twice on the phone, but none of the conversations went on to change the mind of Kohli regarding his decision.

Who will be India’s next Test captain?

Though the recent reports have suggested that upcoming stars Shubman Gill and Rishabh Pant will be the front-runners to lead the team in red ball cricket, while a few cricket pundits have also suggested the likes of Jasprit Bumrah and KL Rahul, both of whom have enough experience and ability to lead the team in the five-day format. 

It is still a big mystery on who will end up leading the side in the upcoming five-match Test series, scheduled to start on June 20 with the first game to be played in Headingley, Leeds. The conditions in England will be very challenging for a young and a relatively inexperienced side compared to the one that travelled to Australia for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25.