Virat Kohli was forced to retire from Test cricket: Manoj Tiwary

Former Indian cricketer Manoj Tiwary has asserted that the Indian talismanic batter Virat Kohli was forced to retire from the longest format of the game. His comments came after Sanjay Manjrekar recently claimed that Kohli has retired from the hardest format and is playing the easiest one.

Advertisment

Notably, Kohli bid adieu to Test cricket ahead of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy 2025 in the new World Test Championship cycle. In 123 Tests, Kohli scored 9230 runs at an average of 46.85 with 30 centuries and 31 half-centuries.

When asked about the claims by Manjrekar, Tiwary made it clear that he doesn’t agree with the former cricketer. However, he went on to add that Kohli had to bid goodbye because of the atmosphere around him, quashing the claims of playing the easiest format.

“I don’t agree with him. Usko majboor kiya gya tha. Mere observation se, meri jo soch hain, he was forced. An atmosphere was created as such that he has to goobye to Test cricket. Kyunki he is not the one jo khud se bolega ki main chhor dunga. Haa, decision usne apne juban se lia hain. Lekin yeh behind the scenes ka jo story hain woh sabko pata hain yaar. Sabko pata hain kya hua hain. Toh sab kuchh jaan ne ke baad aap kaise bol sakte ho ki usne hardest format ko chhor ke easiest format ko lia sirf apne runs banane ke liye. I don’t agree with him. (He was forced. An atmosphere was created as such that he has to goobye to Test cricket. Everyone knows what happened behind the scenes. After knowing everything, how can you say that he left the hardest format and is playing the easiest one for his own runs,) Tiwary told InsideSport.

Interestingly, Kohli is playing only ODI format at the moment. Most recently, he won the player of the series award in the three-match series against South Africa at home. He also ended the New Zealand ODI series with 240 runs, emerging as India's leading run-scorer.

Stay updated with the latest cricket news, match insights, and exclusive updates at Sky247 India and download the Sky247 app to start betting today!