‘Irada sahi hai magar…’: Navjot Singh Sidhu shares his views on Virat Kohli retiring from Test cricket

Virat Kohli announced his retirement from Test cricket before the series against England. This announcement sent not just fans but cricketing experts into shock as well. Former Indian cricketer Navjot Singh Sidhu reacted to this announcement as well. Sidhu called Kohli to be a ‘shining warrior’ , while stating that his absence will leave the team without much experience.

According to sources close to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), Virat Kohli recently told the board about his intention to give up on the longest format of the game. However, sources have also revealed that the board is trying to convince Kohli to keep playing, as presence of the star batter is important for the team.

Speaking on his official X (formerly known as Twitter) account, Sidhu posted a video and said that Virat Kohli’s decision has sent the entire world cricket into a state of shock. Sidhu also stated that his intention and motive is right, but the time and opportunity is not right as India’s pride is at stake.

Navjot Singh Sidhu stated that the Indian team is going to tour which is the toughest ‘litmus test’ even for rest of the Test playing countries. He labelled Virat Kohli as India’s ‘shining warrior’ in England, stating that Indian team will not be left with much experience as other veteran- Rohit Sharma has already retired from red-ball cricket.

Virat Kohli made his debut in Test cricket during 2011, and he represented the nation in 123 red-ball matches. Kohli secured a number of records, and scored 9230 runs at an average of 46.85.

Virat Kohli has also captained India in 68 Test matches, where he has won 40 of them, making him the most successful Test captain in the format. His fitness, commitment and determination had helped the team become a very dominant Test team.