May 12, 2025, brought news that surprised many Indian cricket fans. Virat Kohli announced his retirement from Test cricket. There had been discussions about whether Ro-Ko would be part of the next series in the days leading up to the announcement. However, both Kohli and Rohit decided to leave the format within a span of five days, rather abruptly.

Virat Kohli in Test cricket for India. (X Images)

It has been more than a year since Kohli said that he would no longer wear the whites for India. But conjecture and discussions around what led to his sudden retirement resurface now and then. Former India batter Wasim Jaffer has now spoken about the incident, observing that Kohli might not have been too happy with how the situation was handled.

“It felt like Virat was a bit bitter about the way he was treated. A player like Virat brings people to the ground. He has such a following. He definitely could have played more Test cricket. Till we hear it from Virat’s mouth, we won’t know. He was preparing for the England tour,” Jaffer said on his YouTube channel.

Jaffer was assessing departing chief selector Ajit Agarkar’s tenure when he made the observation. The former Indian batter praised India’s white-ball achievements during Agarkar’s time in the office. However, he did not agree with how certain senior players were handled.

Notably, Rohit Sharma announced his Test retirement on May 7, 2025. During the final Test of the preceding Australia tour, Sharma had maintained that he had no intention of retiring. However, within a few months, he made the decision, raising a lot of questions.

Regarding Kohli's retirement, Delhi coach Sarandeep Singh had expressed surprise when the decision was made public. He revealed that Kohli had discussed his plans while representing Delhi in the Ranji Trophy in early 2025. He wanted to play the England tour and was eager to score three or four centuries. Kohli had even discussed playing two India A matches before the series, as per Singh. However, Agarkar's own account of the development was different: “Virat obviously reached out in early April and said he wants to finish.”

“We have done very well in white-ball cricket. We won two World Cups, the Asia Cup, and the Champions Trophy. So we have won trophies. I would give him 7 marks out of 10. I think how he handled some people could have been better.”

Agarkar served as India's chief selector for three years. He took over in July 2023, and his tenure ended in October 2026. India have not yet permanently appointed anyone to the post, with Pragyan Ojha serving as interim chief selector. During Agarkar's time in office, India won three major ICC white-ball trophies: the T20 World Cups in 2024 and 2026, and the Champions Trophy in 2025. Jaffer acknowledged these achievements while rating his tenure, but deducted marks for what he perceived as shortcomings in the handling of senior players and certain contentious selection decisions.