Virat Kohli took the cricket fraternity by surprise when he announced his retirement from Test cricket through an Instagram post. The legendary cricketer was set to feature in a high-voltage five-match Test series against England but his sudden retirement has forced the selectors to look for a suitable replacement. However, a player of Kohli’s stature can’t be replaced overnight.
While fans are still coming to terms with the landmark decision from Kohli, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) batting coach and mentor Dinesh Karthik asserted that the former India captain is at his happiest place at the moment. The former India cricketer said that Kohli wants to spend more time with his family, now that he will play only the 50-over format and in the Indian Premier League (IPL).
“It came as a shock to the outside world, so we were just observing what Virat was up to. He is at his happiest now – he’s enjoying the sport, and he genuinely wants to spend more time with his family,” said Karthik while speaking ahead of RCB’s clash against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) on Friday, May 23.
“It’s a personal decision, and we respect it. Like everyone else, we were taken aback – ‘Oh, this is happening.’ But the fact is, it’s great to see him happy and ready whenever we want him to play. The key is to keep him in good spirits,” he added.
RCB go down fighting against SRH
RCB squandered a chance to move to the top of the IPL 2025 points table after losing to SRH on Friday. The Orange Army were asked to bat first and they scored a mammoth 231/5 on the back of Ishan Kishan’s unbeaten 94 off 48 deliveries.
IPL 2025: RCB vs SRH, Match 65 – Highlights & top moments
In the second innings, Phil Salt and Virat Kohli put on an 80-run stand in seven overs. However, the latter was dismissed for a 25-ball 43. Salt, on the other hand, scored 62 off 32 balls. RCB were in the chase till the 15th over but a spell of five balls, where they lost three wickets, ended their hopes of a stunning win. The Pat Cummins-led side won the match by 42 runs with the skipper bagging three wickets for 28 runs in his four-over spell.
