Despite still being one of the world’s fittest players, legendary Indian cricketer Ravichandran Ashwin thinks mental exhaustion may have been a major factor in Virat Kohli‘s decision to retire from Test cricket at the age of 36.
Even though the right-hander has had a lacklustre season in red-ball cricket, the news that Kohli hung up his boots from the game’s longest format on Monday, May 12, was unexpected. When Rohit Sharma announced his retirement, Kohli was expected to coach a youthful-looking team in England, but he chose to follow Rohit and leave the format.
Known for his boundless energy, Ashwin believed that years of extreme intensity might have caused Kohli to burn out.
“Whether it was batting, captaincy, or simply being a competitor, his insane energy levels were what set him apart.” Ashwin posted on his YouTube channel, “There were times when I just wanted to ask Virat, ‘What did you even have for breakfast today?'”
But I can’t help but wonder if Virat Kohli still has one or two more years to play Test cricket.
For a long time, that specific question has been bothering me. Could this retirement have been caused by his energy levels? Perhaps he believed that his mental capacity to operate at full capacity every minute had diminished.
With an average of just over 30 since the beginning of 2020, Kohli, who was an unstoppable run-machine at his best, suffered a severe decline after the epidemic. Even when Kohli was not playing well, Ashwin believed that he could still motivate the team with his presence and enthusiasm.
Sometimes striving for perfection might lead to your downfall in sports. The standard that you set for yourself might sometimes backfire. “Even his’reduced’ benchmark proved to be effective from the team perspective,” Ashwin remarked.
Experience is something you can’t purchase. The “been there, done that” element is priceless. Moreover, Virat’s energy was crucial to the team even when he wasn’t playing well at bat.
India
