Virat Kohli was feeling like he was not wanted in the Test team: Former India batter

Former India batter Manoj Tiwary has said that Virat Kohli may have felt unwanted in the Indian Test team and hence announced his retirement from the format. Kohli called time on his Test career in May 2025 just ahead of the five-match Test series against England.

The move came as a shocking revelation for his massive fanbase, as Kohli had expressed his desire to play in England and even participated in the Ranji Trophy 2024-25 to regain his form. Recently, Manoj Tiwary said that Kohli may have been ostracised by the team and hence ended up retiring. He also mentioned that the former India captain won’t come out in the open as he has evolved as a human.

“I don't know what happened. What is the story behind the scenes? I think he was not feeling like he was wanted in Team India. Only he can say. I think he will not come out and ever say this thing in public forum because the human he has become, he has evolved as a human being. I think he is very happy with what God has given to him. He is becoming spiritual as well. When someone becomes spiritual, they just leave all these things aside and focus on the present. They don’t want to talk about the past. He has evolved as a human being; I don’t think he will come forward and ever say what has happened behind the scenes,” Tiwary told Crictracker.

Furthermore, Tiwary opined that Kohli still had three to four years of red-ball career left in him, but his sudden retirement left everyone shocked.

"He could have easily played for another three years minimum and four years. It was very surprising and shocking for all the cricket fans, including me as well, because all we knew that he's so physically fit and he was preparing himself for the England series.But as a cricket lover, things that are happening around Team India, the cricketers like us who know a little bit, we all know what’s happening behind the scenes. I think he did not like the atmosphere he was playing in," he added.

Kohli retired after playing 123 Tests and scored 9230 runs at an average of 46.85 with 30 hundreds and 31 fifties. He also led India in 68 Tests, winning 40 and losing 17. Meanwhile, Kohli will next return to action in the ODI series against Australia in October. He last featured in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, where he played match-winning innings against Pakistan and Australia.