Dinesh Karthik says Virat Kohli is `at his happiest` post-Test retirement

Royal Challengers Bengaluru batting coach Dinesh Karthik gave a sneak peek into stalwart Virat Kohli`s life after he bid adieu to Test cricket earlier this month and said that the 36-year-old is at his `happiest now`.

Kohli penned a heartfelt note on Instagram to announce his retirement from the format he cherished the most. Kohli`s announcement came days after his long-time compatriot Rohit Sharma retired from red-ball cricket. The duo`s decision has left India threadbare in the experience department weeks before embarking on a gruelling Test tour of England.

The Indian batting mainstay is part of Bengaluru in the 18th season of the Indian Premier League. Karthik, who has shared the same dressing room with Kohli and has been with him since the announcement of the surprising decision, revealed the 36-year-old is enjoying the sport.

“It came as a shock to the outside world, so we are just observing what Kohli is up to. he is at his happiest now, he is enjoying the sport, he really wants to spend his time with his family. It`s a personal decision, we respect it, and as everyone else, oh, this is happening, but the fact is, it`s great to see him happy and ready whenever we want him to play. The key is to keep him in good spirits,” Karthik said on Thursday.

Kohli`s 14-year journey in the whites transformed India into a result-producing machine. He infused aggression and the culture of fitness into a team riddled with youth and experience. In a career that redefined the demands of the game, Kohli scored 9,230 runs at an average of 46.85, with 30 centuries and 31 fifties, and finished as India`s fourth-highest run-getter in the format.

Kohli`s retirement from red-ball cricket marked the continuation of the exodus trend from the Test format in the Indian setup. Before the Indian batting bigwigs, the illustrious frontline off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin called it a day on his international career midway through the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia.

This article first appeared on Mid Day