India batting great Virat Kohli has explained for the first time why he stunned the cricket world by quitting Test cricket two months ago. Speaking at Yuvraj Singh’s YouWeCan charity gala in London on 8 July, the 36-year-old joked that having to dye his beard every four days signalled it was “time to move on,” stressing that the physical and mental demands of the five-day game had become harder to meet. Kohli retired on the eve of the current England series after 123 Tests and 9,230 runs, ending a decade in which he led India to the top of the ICC rankings and re-energised the side’s fast-bowling culture. He told the audience that former head coach Ravi Shastri was central to that success, saying the veteran mentor “took the bullets from the front line” and provided the clarity that underpinned India’s rise. The former captain also reminisced about his long-standing friendship with host Yuvraj Singh, recalling how senior players such as Yuvraj, Harbhajan Singh and Zaheer Khan helped him settle into international cricket and how Yuvraj’s comeback from cancer inspired the dressing room. Although no longer in whites, Kohli remains engaged from the sidelines. After India’s 336-run victory at Edgbaston—their first at the venue—he congratulated new skipper Shubman Gill and singled out pacers Akash Deep and Mohammed Siraj for their match-winning spells as the visitors levelled the five-Test series 1-1.