KARACHI:

Former Pakistan captains Javed Miandad and Shahid Afridi believe Indian batting great Virat Kohli still had a few good years of Test cricket left in him, but was compelled to retire prematurely due to what they call unfair treatment by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).

Kohli, India's leading batsman in Tests and ODIs for over a decade, retired from the five-day format last month — an announcement many saw as abrupt and unexpected, bringing an end to a glittering red-ball career.

Although Kohli's dip in form since 2020 fueled criticism, several voices within the cricketing world, including former Indian captain Anil Kumble, as well as Miandad and Afridi, maintain that Kohli still had the skills, fitness, and passion to continue at the highest level.

"There's no denying that Kohli has been a modern-day great, a match-winner, and a fine captain," Miandad told Telecom Asia Sport (www.telecomasia.net).

"For him to leave the game he loved so suddenly suggests there's more to the story. In my view, he could have easily played until the end of 2027. Sure, he had a rough patch, but show me a great batsman who hasn't."

Miandad hinted at behind-the-scenes tensions as a possible reason for Kohli's exit. "Maybe I'm wrong, but my gut says things weren't right between Kohli and the BCCI. The fact that the board didn't even organize a proper farewell for him says a lot," he added.

Afridi echoed Miandad's sentiments, backing Kohli's legacy while criticizing the lack of support from Indian cricket administrators.

"You can say a lot about Kohli — he's been fiery, sometimes controversial — but you can't deny what he's done for Indian cricket," Afridi said. "He gave his all for the team and won matches single-handedly. Players like him are rare, and they deserve to be treated differently."

Afridi acknowledged Kohli's once-tense relationships with the BCCI and other figures in Indian cricket, but emphasized how much the batsman had evolved. "He used to be hot-headed. I remember even Sunil Gavaskar once asked the BCCI to rein him in. But since his marriage, he's matured a lot. He deserved more respect," Afridi said.