'It was a sad day for me... I tried to reason with him': Sanjay Bangar's emotional revelation about Virat Kohli's Test retirement

Former India Test captain Virat Kohli's retirement from the longest format came as a shock to many. Test cricket has been Kohli's favourite format but lack of consistency prompted him to take the tough decision to let go and make way for others. On the day Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 after a one-week break, former Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) coach Sanjay Bangar who continues to work with Kohli in the nets revealed that he tried to reason with the 36-year-old.

Like many, Bangar said that Kohli had a few more years left in him to play Test cricket. He wants fans to respect his decision to hang his boots.

"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.

Bangar also hailed Kohli for choosing to retire when people were asking 'why now?'.

"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," said the former India all-rounder.

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Kohli's return to action delayed, RCB on top

On May 17, Kohli could not return back to action as rain played spoilsport at M.Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru. The match between RCB and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) ended in no result and the latter were officially eliminated from the IPL 2025 playoffs race. On the other hand, RCB climbed to the top of the points table as they have garnered 17 points from 12 games. Also, Kohli missed out on the opportunity to reclaim the orange cap.

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RCB's next match is at home as well. On May 23, they will lock horns with Pat Cummins' Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH). Their last league stage match is on May 27 against Rishabh Pant's Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) at Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vijapayee Ekana Cricket Stadium, Lucknow.