New Delhi: Former India batter Wasim Jaffer has claimed must have been left bitter by the way his Test retirement was handled by the BCCI and the Ajit Agarkar-led selection panel last year.
Kohli announced his retirement from Test cricket in May last year after he was informed by the selectors that they were looking at Shubman Gill as a young captain to lead the side with the future in mind.
Kohli’s Test retirement came days after Rohit Sharma quit Test cricket before eventually being replaced by Gill as the captain. Jaffer believes Kohli could have continued playing Test cricket and was looking forward to the tour of England last year.
“Yes, absolutely. I mean, it seemed like Virat was a bit bitter about how things were handled,” Jaffer said in a video on his YouTube channel.
“A player like Virat, he draws crowds to the stadium; he has such a massive following. He definitely could have played more Test cricket. Until we hear directly from Virat what the actual situation was, we won’t know for sure,” he added.
Kohli decided to retire from Test cricket following a spell of uncertainty, where his future had become a matter of debate. The star batter was reportedly keen on touring England and wanted to continue playing the longest format.
He also made an appearance for Delhi in one of their Ranji Trophy matches after being asked to do so by the selectors to ensure he remained in the scheme for the Indian Test team. However, Kohli reportedly wanted to be reinstated as captain, and selectors decided to back Gill.
Kohli then decided to retire from Test cricket, bringing curtains down on an illustrious career. He finished as the fourth-highest run-getter for India with 9230 runs in123 matches in Test cricket.
Things could have been handled better: Jaffer on Kohli’s retirement
Jaffer raised questions over the decision-making of the Agarkar-led selection committee and said things could have been handled better in Kohli’s case as the star batter clearly wanted to continue playing. Jaffer said Kohli turning up for Delhi in the Ranji Trophy was proof that he wanted to play Test cricket.
“But I mean, he was preparing; he was gearing up for the England tour. So, all those things could have been handled better. As I said, regarding certain individuals, things could have been managed better,” said Jaffer.