Sourav Ganguly has finally opened up about Virat Kohli’s sudden retirement from Test cricket and his take is as honest as it gets.
While fans and experts were still trying to process Kohli’s unexpected exit from the longest format, Ganguly chose to look at it from a cricketer’s lens. For him, such moments are deeply personal.
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In a candid interaction, Ganguly said there’s nothing dramatic about the way Kohli walked away from red-ball cricket. It was his own call made with clarity.
What did Ganguly say on Kohli’s Test retirement?
Ganguly made it clear that he doesn’t see it as something to question or debate too much. “It’s very irrelevant,” he told PTI.
The southpaw further claimed that it doesn’t really matter who decides what, whether it’s on their own terms or not. He believes every cricketer has an inner voice that signals when it’s time to move on.
“My terms, someone else’s terms. As a player, you understand. As a player, everyone understands where he stands at the moment. Just look at Virat," added Ganguly.
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In Kohli’s case, that moment came after a mixed few years with the red ball. Although the former captain had seen a dip in form in Tests, Ganguly felt that if Kohli had continued, he would’ve definitely scored big runs again on the current England tour.
“I know he didn’t have the best five years in Tests, but champions like him rediscover themselves. And I guarantee that if he were on this tour of England, he would have scored runs. But he felt it was time to go."
The former India captain even drew a parallel with his own retirement. Back in 2007, he too walked away when the team started focusing on the future and younger players. For both cricketers, it was about timing, self-awareness and letting go on their own terms.
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“Everything has to come to an end. A lot of us were surprised by Virat Kohli’s retirement. Just 36 years old. Fit, although he still plays IPL and ODIs, it is never the same. You have to finish playing someday, and for me, I thought it was the best time for me to finish, and I did," Ganguly concluded.