Virat Kohli's Unexpected Retirement: Insights from Delhi Ranji Trophy Coach
Sarandeep Singh's Surprising Claims
Sarandeep Singh, a former cricketer and coach for the Delhi Ranji Trophy team, has made a startling claim regarding Virat Kohli's retirement from Test cricket. Despite Kohli's expressed desire to continue playing in the Test format, he has decided to step away. In his final Ranji Trophy match, Sarandeep noted that Kohli was eager to participate in the upcoming Test series against England.
In an interview with JioStar, Sarandeep revealed that Kohli had ambitions of scoring three to four centuries during the England Tests.
Sarandeep remarked, "Only he knows the reason behind his retirement. Everyone is taken aback by this decision."
He further added, "There were no indications of this. I hadn’t heard anything from anyone. Just look at his performance in the IPL; he is in excellent form."
Sarandeep also mentioned that he had asked Kohli about playing a few County Cricket matches prior to the England tour, to which Kohli responded, 'No Paaji, I am looking to play India A matches. I have two India A matches planned to prepare for the Test series.' He had a clear strategy in mind, making his sudden retirement all the more surprising. There are no fitness or form issues affecting him.
Reflecting on Kohli's performance during the Australia tour, Sarandeep noted that Kohli is known for scoring big runs in Australia. He started with a century but felt unsatisfied with it.
During the Ranji Trophy, Kohli expressed, 'I want to score three or four hundreds in England. I need to take responsibility as a senior batter in the team,' the coach added.
Kohli had once dreamed of reaching 10,000 Test runs, a goal that will now remain unachieved as he retired just 770 runs shy of that milestone. He concluded his Test career with 9,230 runs from 123 matches, averaging below 50 in the last five years. The Indian team is set to face England in a five-match Test series starting June 20, while the India A team will engage in three four-day practice matches beginning June 1.