Virat Kohli‘s sudden Test retirement, days before the announcement of the Indian squad for the England Tour, has grabbed headlines worldwide. After a below-par Border Gavaskar Trophy that saw him score 190 in five matches at an average of 23.75, there were question marks on where the batting great’s career was headed. Now, those speculations has been answered as Kohli declared in an Instagram post on Monday he is bidding good-bye to the Test format. Former India cricketer and national selector Sarandeep Singh, who is also the coach of the Delhi team, has now made some stunning revelations. 

Earlier this year, Sarandeep had worked with Kohli during a Ranji Trophy match.  Sarandeep was taken by surprise after hearing Virat’s announcement, considering his involvement, which included his return to the Ranji Trophy in January after 13 years.

“There was no hint (of retirement). Did not even hear from anywhere. Some days ago, I was talking to him but I did not get any hint that he was thinking about this. The kind of IPL he is having, he is in incredible form,” Singh said. 

“I asked him if will he would play County cricket before the Test matches. He said he wanted to play two India ‘A’ matches before the Test series (against England). It was already settled. Suddenly, we hear he will no longer play red ball cricket. There is no fitness issue. No form issue. He got one century in Australia, but he was not satisfied. During the Ranji Trophy, he was saying that he wants to score three-four centuries in England because is the most senior player in the team.”

Sarandeep was also asked by news agency PTI on whether he saw any signs of retirement when Kohli played the Ranji Trophy match for Delhi in February.

“Not at all, there was no sign of him retiring from any form of cricket because he is coming to play red-ball cricket, so he had no thinking like that. Even at that time, he was talking about the England series with the Test matches that are coming. So, he was going to play there,” Sarandeep Singh said. 

“And this time, he will be very much prepared, he said. He is going to score maximum hundreds, which he did the last time in 2018 when he went to England. He scored a lot of runs over there. So, he will be well prepared for the England tour too. So, there is nothing like that when it came to Ranji Trophy matches. In the coming time, he was looking forward to it. So, I don’t know. Still, we thought that we would see him on the England tour. He is one of the most senior players. Especially, the England tour is very tough. So, without him, I don’t know how the Indian team will manage now.”

On Monday morning, Virat took to Instagram and penned a note that stirred the hearts of many. He confirmed that the days of speculation had turned into reality by closing the curtains on his 14-year-long Test journey.

With Virat’s exit, the Indian Test setup is threadbare in terms of experience playing on the UK’s green, blushing pitches.

With ANI inputs