Virat Kohli's Test retirement was driven by mental fatigue: Greg Chappell

Published - 06 Jun 2025, 12:15 IST | Updated - 06 Jun 2025, 12:20 IST

Virat Kohli shocked the cricket world when he announced his retirement from Test cricket on May 12. He was set to feature in India's five-match tour of England, starting on June 20. However, the 36-year-old decided that it was time to step away from the format he loves the most.

Kohli did have his struggles in red-ball cricket in recent times. Since 2024, the former India captain only managed 440 runs from 11 Tests at an average of 23.16. He registered just one fifty and one century in this period. However, fans were hoping that he would rediscover his form in the upcoming World Test Championship (WTC) 2025-2027 cycle.

Former India head coach Greg Chappell feels that Kohli's decision to retire from Tests stemmed from his lack of mental clarity. Chappell opined that the legendary batter accepted his body was faltering as his mind was not in sync with it.

"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 in his column for ESPNcricinfo.

"When doubt begins to settle in the bones, it disrupts decision-making, impairs footwork, and erodes the spontaneity essential to elite performance. Kohli's retirement is a reminder that form is more a function of the mind than it is of mechanics," Chapell wrote.

Kohli, who already bid adieu to T20I cricket before Test cricket, will continue representing the Men in Blue in ODI cricket. The Delhi batter finished with a commendable record in Test cricket, amassing 9230 runs from 123 Tests at an average of 46.85. He registered 30 centuries and 31 half-centuries in his illustrious career.

In his absence, India will be looking at possible options to play at the No. 4 position in the longest format of the game. Karun Nair could be the frontrunner after scoring a magnificent double century in the four-day game between India A and England Lions recently. India's new Test captain Shubman Gill, who has batted at No. 3 in recent times, could drop to No. 4 as well.