Virat Kohli had 'brain fade', told to 'close his eyes' and take U-turn on Test retirement: 'Don't know what went wrong'

A former national teammate of Virat Kohli has urged the all-time Indian great to reverse his retirement decision, appearing baffled why this moment of time was chosen for Kohli to take a step back from the format he prefers the most. Manoj Tiwary went as far as to wonder if Kohli’s decision came through with a rush of blood in the head, stating that Kohli might have had a ‘brain-fade’ that set him down the path of opting to retire. Virat Kohli announced his retirement from Test cricket last week.(AFP)

Speaking on Cricuzz, Tiwary explained: “Sometimes you face a time when a brain fade can happen and you make a decision. It’s possible he had that too. There’s a lot of cricket left in him.”

Tiwary went on to explain how it particularly surprised him that the 10,000-run mark didn’t factor into Kohli’s decision. Kohli finished his career on 9230 runs from 123 matches, just 670 short of that five-digit mark that only three Indian players have reached in Test cricket.

“He was too close to 10,000 runs. Although it might not be important to him, a lot of young cricketers dream of making their name in Test cricket and reaching that milestone,” said Tiwary of this situation. “He had a good chance. I don’t know what happened or what went wrong that he made this decision.”

Tiwary mentions difficulty of stepping away from cricket

Given Kohli’s proximity to that 10,000 run mark and his importance to Indian Test cricket, not just through performance but its cultural standing, Tiwary urged Kohli to think further on the decision and reconsider.

“I’ll ask him to close his eyes and take the retirement back as soon as possible,” said the retired batter. “It’ll bring back the happiness on the faces of all cricket fans.”

Tiwary went on to explain how he had once made a similar decision, retiring from First Class cricket for Bengal, before walking back his decision after realising he wasn’t ready to bid farewell to cricket, returning to compete in Ranji cricket.

“Even I did that. I took back retirement from first-class cricket after just five days and then played for Bengal, trying to win the Ranji Trophy,” concluded Tiwary.

Given Kohli has always been a man and a player of great conviction, it seems unlikely this will be a decision he walks back. Nevertheless, a farewell Test remains something that all Indian fans would love to see the great man receive.

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