Kohli quit Tests due to loss of mental clarity, not form: Chappell

Melbourne: Former Australia captain Greg Chappell believes Virat Kohli's decision to retire from Test cricket stemmed not from a decline in skill but from the toll the game had taken on him over the years.

The Australian batting great added that Kohli called it quits due to the loss of mental clarity required to perform at the highest level.

"His decision was not born of diminished skill, but from the growing realisation that he could no longer summon the mental clarity that had once made him so formidable," Chappell wrote in his column for ESPNcricinfo.

"He accepted that, at the highest level, unless the mind is sharp and decisive, the body falters." Kohli had announced his retirement from Test cricket last month, after representing India in 123 Tests, scoring 9,230 runs at an average of 46.85, including 30 centuries.

The former India coach said doubt has a way of creeping into an athlete's game, gradually impacting decision-making, footwork, and the spontaneity essential to elite-level performance.

"When doubt begins to settle in the bones, it disrupts decision-making, impairs footwork, and erodes the spontaneity essential to elite performance. Kohli's retirement is a reminder that form is more a function of the mind than it is of mechanics," Chapell wrote.

Chappell emphasised that intent should not be confused with recklessness or blind aggression as it stems from a player's inner clarity and confidence.

"A batter's intent is the emotional heartbeat of their game. Intent isn't about slogging or reckless aggression - it's about conviction. A player in form moves decisively, trusts their instinct, and lets their subconscious take over. When that trust is broken, even the cleanest technique looks laboured."

Chappell suggested that experience often clouds the instincts that once fuelled success, and returning to a simpler mindset can help seasoned players find their rhythm again.

"The path back for older players is rarely through exhaustive technical reconstruction. Rather, it comes from returning to a state of mental clarity, rekindling the thinking of their younger days.

"This doesn't mean blind aggression or naïve optimism. It means remembering why they succeeded in the first place: trust, intent, and simplicity."