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After Kapil Dev questioned Virat Kohli’s decision to retire from Test cricket, now former India opener Aakash Chopra has reacted strongly. The great all-rounder believes that Kohli ended his Test career too early and that too in ‘angry’.
However, Aakash Chopra made it clear that once a player decides to retire, everyone should respect that decision instead of raising questions again and again. He admitted that many may feel that Virat Kohli still has a lot of Test cricket left in him, but he insisted that no one – not even former greats – can decide when a player should retire.
Aakash Chopra reacts after Kapil Dev questions Virat Kohli’s Test retirement
This debate started when Kapil Dev recently said that Kohli should have controlled his emotions and given himself some more time before ending his Test career. The former World Cup-winning captain said Kohli still has a lot to contribute to Indian cricket in the traditional format of the game. Meanwhile, AB de Villiers urged patience on Shreyas Iyer’s captaincy, ruled out Rajat Patidar.
Now, responding to the former Indian captain’s comment, Aakash Chopra admitted that Virat Kohli probably retired earlier than many expected. However, he also told that the former Indian captain may have his own reasons behind taking such a big decision.
Chopra has also said that Kohli’s Test numbers over the years were not close to the standards set during the peak of his career. Kohli had dominated world cricket for so long, so he must have been disappointed that he is no longer able to perform like this consistently.
King can’t play supporting role: Aakash Chopra’s opinion on Virat Kohli’s retirement
The cricket pundit also pointed out that Kohli has always been a cricketer who wanted to be the biggest match-winner for the team. The right-handed batsman made his career by leading from the front and winning games for his team. If he feels that he will no longer be able to play that role regularly, it may naturally affect his thinking, as Chopra explained.
Chopra further felt that the poor ICC World Test Championship cycle and his young family may also have played a role in Kohli’s retirement from the game. He said that Kohli would not like to spend much of his time away from his young family, so family issues are also one of the reasons for this.
Aakash Chopra said on Cracks, “I heard Kapil paaji’s quote, and it is true that Virat Kohli left Test cricket early. If I were the king of cricket, Virat Kohli, his role in King’s Kingdom could not have been that of a supporting actor. He should have the energy of the lead character. But that was not happening, and there is a family issue as well. But in the end, it is completely a personal decision.”
Aakash Chopra hits back at Kapil Dev, demands respect for Virat Kohli’s retirement
Taking aim at the legendary all-rounder, the commentator believes that retirement is a personal choice and no one should criticize it. He believes that no one tells a player when to start his international career, so no one should tell him when to end it either.
Chopra further added, “Starting and leaving is a very personal decision. And if a player has taken that, then we should only respect him. Of course, when you watch, you feel that he is playing so well. If this was his form, he would have come back. He would have scored runs in Tests as well because the player is amazing.”
He urged everyone to respect Kohli’s decision. Chopra said, “But if the player says I’m done, then it’s done. You have to completely respect and accept and just move on. So, Virat Kohli leaving the Test is a personal decision. And when it is his decision, we should only respect it.”
Did Virat Kohli retire in anger?
Aakash Chopra’s reaction to Kapil Dev’s big claim!
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.#Cricket #ViratKohli #TeamIndia #TestCricket pic.twitter.com/iPK1OlYQzJ– CREX (@Crex_live) July 8, 2026
