Former Australian Cricketer Greg Chappell Decodes Virat Kohli's Test Retirement: 'Not Because Of Diminished Skill...'

Former Australian cricketer Greg Chappell decoded talismanic Indian batter Virat Kohli's retirement from Test cricket, saying that the 36-year-old took the decision not because of 'diminished skill'.

Earlier in May, Virat Kohli took to his official Instagram handle to announce his retirement from Test cricket. In his retirement note, Kohli said that red-ball cricket tested and shaped him.

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"There’s something deeply personal about playing in whites. The quiet grind, the long days, the small moments that no one sees but that stay with you forever," Virat Kohli wrote on Instagram.

Greg Chappell Reflects On Virat Kohli's Test Retirement

In his column for ESPNcricinfo, former Australian cricketer Greg Chappell, now, opened up on Kohli bidding adieu to the long format, saying that the 36-year-old took the decision because of mental fatigue. The former cricketer added that Kohli accepted that he can't perform at the highest level until his mind is sharp.

"His decision was not born of diminished skill, but from the growing realisation that he could no longer summon the mental clarity that had once made him so formidable. He accepted that, at the highest level, unless the mind is sharp and decisive, the body falters,” Chappell wrote on ESPNcricinfo.

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Virat Kohli's Stats In Test Cricket

Virat Kohli is considered one of the stars in the long format. Kohli appeared in 123 Test matches and 210 innings, scoring 9230 runs at a strike rate of 55.57, and had an average of 46.85.

The 36-year-old made his debut in red-ball cricket in 2011 against the West Indies. Meanwhile, his last Test series was in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-2025.

In the recently concluded BGT 2024-2025 against Australia, Virat Kohli displayed a poor performance, scoring 190 runs in nine innings, at a strike rate of 47.97.

Now, Team India will take on England in the upcoming five-match Test series. It will mark the beginning of the World Test Championship 2025-2025. It will be Team India's first red ball series after Kohli's retirement.