Virat Kohli’s ‘premature’ retirement from Test cricket ‘disappoints’ Javed Akhtar: ‘Sincerely request him to reconsider his decision’ | Bollywood News
Virat Kohli on Monday announced his retirement from Test cricket ending the speculation about his future in the longest format. The 36-year-old Kohli turned up in 123 Tests for India, scoring 9230 runs with 30 hundreds at an average of 46.85. He will only play in ODIs now, having already retired from T20 Internationals last year.
However, several cricketers and spectators feel he’s not done yet. On Wednesday, veteran screenwriter, lyric, and poet Javed Akhtar, a self-professed cricket buff himself, wrote on X, “Obviously Virat knows better but as an admirer of This great player I am disappointed his rather premature retirement from Test cricket cricket . I think there is still a lot of cricket in him . I sincerely request him to reconsider his decision.”
Obviously Virat knows better but as an admirer of This great player I am disappointed his rather premature retirement from Test cricket cricket . I think there is still a lot of cricket in him . I sincerely request him to reconsider his decision.
— Javed Akhtar (@Javedakhtarjadu) May 14, 2025
Akhtar famously praised Kohli earlier this year, after India defeated Pakan in the ICC Champions Trophy semi-finals earlier this year. “Virat Kohli, zindabad. !!! . We all are so so so proud of you,” he wrote on X then. When a couple of trolls questioned Akhtar’s patriotism, he even gave it back to them.
“”Beta jab tumhare baap dada angrez ke jootay chaat rahe thay tab mere aazadi ke liye jai aur kala paani mein thay . Meri ragon mein desh premion ka khoon hai aur tumhari ragon mein angrez ke naukaron ka khoon hai . Iss anter ko bhoolo nahin (Son, when your grandfather was licking the boots of the British, I was fighting for our freedom in the jail and in Kala Pani. My veins carry the blood of patriots, while yours carry the blood of British servants. Don’t forget this difference),” he responded.
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Akhtar isn’t the only one who feels there’s a lot of cricket left in Kohli. Former India wicketkeeper Syed Kirmani, a member of the 1983 World Cup-winning team, told PTI, “Everybody has to retire, but he should have played a bit more. However, I respect his decision. I wish him luck for future,” said Kirmani.
“Questions like why he’s retiring, or whether he’s out of form or under pressure, don’t make any sense. It’s a player’s individual decision,” argued Kirmani, adding, “I don’t feel he is after records. It might be the excess of cricket that led to this. Records don’t matter to him. I don’t think he had any sort of pressure on him while making this decision.”
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Kohli’s retirement continues the exodus of Indian bigwigs from the Test arena. Ravichandran Ashwin (in December) and Rohit Sharma (last week) are the others to have called it quits in the format. “As I step away from this format, it’s not easy — but it feels right. I’ve given it everything I had, and it’s given me back so much more than I could’ve hoped for,” he wrote, while announcing his retirement on social media.
