Former India cricketer Mohammad Kaif has suggested that Virat Kohli may have felt he was no longer receiving enough importance or backing within the Indian setup before retiring from Test cricket. Kohli announced his decision to step away from the format in May 2025 after playing 123 Tests, following a prolonged period of inconsistent batting returns. While his Test career included several major achievements and leadership milestones, his form had come under scrutiny during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia, where he struggled after scoring a century in Perth. Kaif, however, believes Kohli’s decision may have involved factors beyond his performances with the bat.

Speaking on a YouTube channel, Kaif said he noticed disappointment in Kohli’s interviews around the time of his Test retirement. He suggested that the former India captain may have felt that people within the team setup had lost faith in him. “It seemed that he felt like he was not getting importance and backing,” Kaif said, adding that he believed Kohli could have returned to form had he continued playing Tests. Kaif pointed to Kohli’s history of recovering from difficult periods as the basis for his view. However, Kaif did not claim to have first-hand knowledge of conversations inside the Indian dressing room, and Kohli has not publicly said that a lack of support was the reason for his Test retirement.

Kaif also referred to Kohli’s performances in one-day cricket while explaining why he believed the batter could have made another comeback in Tests. Kohli faced further criticism after consecutive ducks during India’s ODI series in Australia in 2025, but subsequently produced a strong run of performances. According to Kaif, those results demonstrated why established players can require patience during periods of poor form. He argued that a player with Kohli’s record should not necessarily be judged by the same standards as a newcomer and noted that prolonged dips in form can happen even to elite cricketers.

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Kohli’s subsequent ODI performances have been a key part of Kaif’s argument. He has continued to score heavily in the format, including an unbeaten 139 in the opening ODI of the ongoing series against the West Indies, according to the report. Kaif also pointed to Kohli’s recent sequence of centuries and half-centuries as evidence that the batter remained capable of producing major contributions despite earlier questions over his form. The former cricketer said Kohli’s continued presence in the ODI setup could also have value beyond his individual batting numbers.

Kaif particularly highlighted Kohli’s experience as potentially useful to India captain Shubman Gill, who is still relatively new to leading the national side. He said Kohli’s experience could provide support to Gill while India deal with a relatively less experienced group in some areas, particularly the bowling department. “The longer Kohli stays, the better it will be for Gill as a captain and for India overall that way,” Kaif said. His comments focused on Kohli’s experience and leadership presence rather than suggesting that the former captain should necessarily return to Test cricket.

Kohli’s Test retirement therefore remains a decision that has been publicly explained by the player only to a limited extent, while Kaif’s comments represent his personal interpretation of the circumstances surrounding it. The former India cricketer believes Kohli’s record of recovering from difficult periods means his Test career might have continued had he chosen to remain in the format. Kohli, meanwhile, has moved on from Test cricket and continued his international career in the ODI format, where his performances have remained a major focus for Indian cricket.

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