‘Was Prepared For England Tour’: Ex-Selector’s Big Revelation After Virat Kohli’s Sudden Test Retirement

Virat Kohli’s sudden retirement from Test cricket — just days before the Indian squad for the England tour was to be announced — has made global headlines. Kohli announced his decision to step away from the red-ball format via an Instagram post on May 12 (Monday). Now, former India cricketer and national selector Sarandeep Singh, who also coaches the Delhi team, has made some striking revelations.

Sarandeep Singh expressed surprise at Kohli’s Test retirement, revealing that the 36-year-old was highly motivated and fully prepared for the upcoming England tour, even aiming to replicate his 2018 performance — making his sudden decision all the more unexpected.

Notably, Kohli scored 593 in 10 innings at an exceptional average of 59.30 in India’s tour of England in 2018.

"I was surprised this morning when I heard this news. Talking about the Delhi Ranji trophy match, I have never seen him a player so involved and show so much intensity after coming down from Test cricket. He was saying that however the Australia tour was, he was fully prepared for the England tour. He wanted to have a series like the 2018 series and we could see the preparation. Suddenly, the person who was ready to go to England is now not going. The reason Virat will only know," said Sarandeep on JioHotstar.

'There Was No Hint': Sarandeep Singh On Kohli's Tets Retirement

Sarandeep revealed that Kohli gave no indication of retiring and was actually planning to play India 'A' matches ahead of the England series. He said there were no fitness or form concerns, and Kohli was aiming to score multiple centuries in England, making his sudden retirement all the more surprising.

"There was no hint. Did not even hear from anywhere. Some days ago, I was talking to him on messages but I did not get any hint, he was thinking about this. The kind of IPL he is having, he is in incredible form. I asked him will he would play County cricket before the Test match. He said he wanted to play two India 'A' matches before the Test series. Suddenly, this comes. There is not fitness issue. No form issue. He got one century in Australia, but he was not satisfied. During the Ranji Trophy, he was telling me that he wants to score 3-4 centuries in England because is the most senior player in the team," Sarandeep added.

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