Wasim Jaffer blames Ajit Agarkar-led selection panel for Virat Kohli’s Test retirement

Former Indian opener Wasim Jaffer has blamed departed BCCI chief selector Ajit Agarkar and his selection panel for Virat Kohli’s bitter Test retirement last year. Midway through the IPL 2025, Kohli shocked the cricket world by calling time on his Test career, with several reports suggesting that the ex-Indian captain was forced into taking that call.

Speaking on his YouTube channel about this episode, Jaffer said Kohli was preparing for the forthcoming five-match Test series against England but had shockingly stepped away from the format he loved the most. Jaffer said that unless Kohli himself reveals the real story behind that decision, no one would know what happened.

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"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," said Jaffer on his YouTube channel.

Kohli was closing in on several Test records before stepping aside. While Kohli retired two matches short of completing 125 Tests, which would have equalled Sunil Gavaskar’s Test tally, the talismanic batter was 770 runs short of reaching the 10,000-run mark in Test cricket. Had he played longer and scored as many runs, Kohli would have become the fourth Indian after Gavaskar, Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid to achieve this feat.

Kohli also retired with 30 Test hundreds, five short of becoming the eighth Test batter with 35 centuries in red-ball cricket.

Meanwhile, in his last Test series for India – the away Border-Gavaskar Trophy -- Kohli scored 190 runs in five Tests at 23.75, including an unbeaten 100 in the last innings in the Perth Test.

Kohli will be in action next during the away ODI series against New Zealand starting November 4.