Manoj Tiwary on Virat Kohli Test retirement: 'I think he will not come out and ever say this thing in public forum because...': Virat Kohli's ex-teammate makes shocking claim on Test retirement

Former India cricketer Manoj Tiwary claims that Virat Kohli retired from Test cricket because he felt unwanted in the team. Kohli made the announcement to retire from Test cricket in May 2025, ahead of squad announcement for England tour marking the start of World Test Championship (WTC) 2025-27 campaign. The decision came as a shock to many as they believed that Kohli has a few more years of Test cricket left him.

Tiwary feels that Kohli has become a spiritual person and won't reveal the reason behind his retirement in public.

“I don't know what happened. What is the story behind the scenes? I think he was not feeling like he was wanted in Team India. Only he can say. I think he will not come out and ever say this thing in public forum because the human he has become, he has evolved as a human being. I think he is very happy with what God has given to him. He is becoming spiritual as well. When someone becomes spiritual, they just leave all these things aside and focus on the present. They don’t want to talk about the past. He has evolved as a human being; I don’t think he will come forward and ever say what has happened behind the scenes,” Tiwary told Crictracker.

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Tiwary expected Kohli to play Test cricket for another 3-4 years

Tiwary believed that Kohli could've played Test cricket at least till he was 40 years old. He went on to say that Kohli did not like the atmosphere of the Test team.

"He could have easily played for another three years minimum and four years. It was very surprising and shocking for all the cricket fans, including me as well, because all we knew that he's so physically fit and he was preparing himself for the England series. But as a cricket lover, things that are happening around Team India, the cricketers like us who know a little bit, we all know what’s happening behind the scenes. I think he did not like the atmosphere he was playing in," the 39-year-old added.

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Meanwhile, Kohli is expected to return to international cricket on India’s tour of Australia later this year. He hasn’t played international cricket since India’s ICC Champions Trophy 2025 triumph.