Published: May 18, 2025, 04:13 PM (IST)
Edited: May 18, 2025, 04:14 PM (IST)
Former Indian Test captain Virat Kohli announcing his retirement from the longest format of the game was a shock to the world cricket. The red-ball format has always been the favourite format, but his dismal performances caused him to let go of the longest format of the game.
On the day Indian Premier league (IPL) 2025 continued following a one-week suspension, Sanjay Bangar, who works with Virat Kohli in the nets revealed that he tried to reason with Kohli on rethinking about his decision.
Like countless number of people have already said, Sanjay Bangar has also stated that Virat Kohli had a couple more years of playing Test cricket left in him. However, now that the announcement is made, Sanjay wants the fans to respect this decision.
“It was a sad day for me personally. He was a giant of his era. I tried to reason with him – there were still a few good years of Test cricket left in him. But he had made up his mind. He was convinced about the timing, and once he made that decision, there was no going back. We must respect that,” said Bangar on JioHotstar.
“In our country, letting go is not always appreciated, but Virat chose the right moment. He retired when people were still asking ‘why now?’ – and that’s often the hallmark of a great sportsman,” he added.
Virat Kohli could not make his return to action like he was supposed to do in the IPL, as rain caused the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) vs Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) clash to be abandoned. Now, RCB have their next match against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) on May 23.
