Report says Rohit retired due to pressure from selectors, BCCI didn’t persuade Kohli
Former India cricket team Test captain Rohit Sharma was forced to retire as he was under pressure from the selectors, a Times of India report has revealed. The Hitman took everyone by surprise by abruptly retiring from the longest format of the game last week. In what was another blow to India, Virat Kohli also followed the former’s footsteps and decided to step away from Tests as well. According to TOI report, the selectors weren’t in favor of taking Rohit to England, which prompted him to announce his retirement. The report states that the selectors weren’t sure about his spot in the side after he informed them that he would only play a couple of Tests in the series. Brushing aside reports of the BCCI asking a former cricketer to convince Virat to reconsider his decision, the source claimed that no such move was made by the BCCI. Echoing earlier reports, the source claimed that Kohli’s move to retire abruptly was his decision alone. But despite their retirement from Test, both Rohit and Kohli will now only be active in ODIs. BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia confirmed that the duo’s Grade+ contract will continue.
The players who can replace Virat Kohli at number four in Tests
Virat Kohli’s retirement from Test cricket came up just one month before India’s tour to England. The team now face the challenge of replacing Kohli at number four. Here are the contenders for the spot. Sarfaraz Khan Sarfaraz Khan’s prolific run-scoring in domestic cricket earned him a Test debut against England in Rajkot in 2024. The 27-year-old notched up his first Test century later that year against New Zealand. Despite warming the bench during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia, Sarfaraz remains a strong contender for the number four spot in the long run. KL Rahul India’s perennial crisis man in recent years, KL Rahul has shuffled between the top and middle order based on the team’s needs. With the departure of the team’s best batter, Rahul, known for his compact technique, could now be a natural choice for the number four spot. Shubman Gill Shubman Gill has long been touted as the future of Indian Test batting. At 25, he’s already played 32 Tests since his debut in Australia in 2020. Although he’s mostly batted at the top of the order or number three, Gill’s shot-making ability makes him a strong contender for the number four spot. A move to this position could be the spark needed to elevate his Test career, which has so far shown promise. Sai Sudharsan The only player on this list yet to make his red-ball debut, Sai Sudharsan has been steadily establishing himself as a future all-format star for India. The left-handed batter made his international debut in the ODI format against South Africa in 2023 but has since played just four international matches. However, his strong performances during the India A tour of Australia late last year, along with another standout IPL season, could prompt selectors to hand him a Test cap in the upcoming series against England.
Kohli says goodbye to test cricket finally
After days of speculation, Indian cricket great Virat Kohli has confirmed his retirement from Test cricket with immediate effect in an emotional post on Instagram. After India Test captain Rohit Sharma confirmed his retirement from the longest format of the game, reports of Kohli communicating the same intent to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) emerged, sending shockwaves across the cricketing spectrum. It was reported that the board is in talks with Kohli to make him change his mind, but it seems that the outcome was unsuccessful. “It’s been 14 years since I first wore the baggy blue in Test cricket. Honestly, I never imagined the journey this format would take me on. It’s tested me, shaped me, and taught me lessons I’ll carry for life. There’s something deeply personal about playing in whites. The quiet grind, the long days, the small moments that no one sees but that stay with you forever,” he wrote on social media. Virat also said that the decision to call it quits wasn’t an easy one, but it felt ‘right’ to him. “As I step away from this format, it’s not easy – but it feels right. I’ve given it everything I had, and it’s given me back so much more than I could’ve hoped for. I’m walking away with a heart full of gratitude – for the game, for the people I shared the field with, and for everyone who made me feel seen along the way.” Kohli played 123 Tests for India, scoring 9,230 runs at an average of 46.85, including 30 centuries and 31 fifties, with the highest score of 254. Be it home or away, Virat ruled the roost with his bat, making his runs do the talking. However, he will probably have one regret, not reaching the 10,000 run mark in Tests. Kohli’s retirement from the longest format of the game adds to the exodus of Indian veterans. Ravichandran Ashwin (in December) and Rohit Sharma (last week) have already called it quits, and now Virat has become the third one to follow suit. There have been talks over the future of senior pacer Mohammed Shami in the Test team too.
Virat wants to retire from Test cricket also; BCCI reportedly asks him to rethink
Virat has told the BCCI that he wishes to retire from Test cricket ahead of the England Test series, but top officials have asked him to reconsider his decision! According to a report by The Indian Express, Kohli’s decision came just days after Rohit Sharma decided to retire from Test cricket. According to media reports, the selectors will be meeting in a few days to determine the squad for the five-match Test series against England, and if both Virat and Rohit are not available, they will have a huge task at hand. The report further claimed that Kohli has been contemplating retirement since the end of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, where his disappointing show earned him a lot of criticism. “He has made up his mind and has informed the board that he is moving on from Test cricket. The BCCI has urged him to rethink as the crucial England tour is coming up. He is yet to revert on the request,” sources told the Indian Express. If Kohli doesn’t change his mind, and with Rohit out of the picture, it will leave India with a largely inexperienced middle-order to join forces with KL Rahul, Shubman Gill, and Yashasvi Jaiswal at the top, and Rishabh Pant later down the order. Besides, the team will be left without the guiding hands of two veterans who, between them, have led the Test team for nearly 11 years till now. Kohli became India’s Test captain in December 2014, followed by Rohit in February 2022.
Rohit Sharma calls KL Rahul his crisis man!
Rohit Sharma has termed KL Rahul as his crisis man! Rohit says the 33-year-old wicketkeeper-batsman has been an important player for him over the last few years. Rahul was a vital player for Rohit in ODIs during his captaincy as the right-handed batter stepped up in the middle-order and acted as the wicketkeeper during the ODI World Cup in 2023. The Indian captain when asked by India Today about the criticism he faced, Rohit said that whenever the team needed something, Rahul always steps up and raises his hand. The India captain pointed out that the 33-year-old never shies away from responsibility and is ready to bat anywhere and keep wickets if needed. “In the last two-three years, he has been an important player for me. I look at him as a crisis man. Wherever we needed KL to do something, he raised his hand. He has to do the keeping, he will do it. Have to bat anywhere, he will do it,” said Rohit. Rohit said that criticism doesn’t affect him or the players anymore. The Indian captain said that if it did affect someone, then that player would be sitting at home. “I am tired of this. If it affected, then the player would be sitting at home. He would be on his bed thinking I am being criticized, I cannot play with all this is happening with me. The whole world is against me. Being thick-skinned is inbuilt in players.” “I cannot say that it does not affect at all. It may affect some, and it may not affect others. Nothing happens to me. It has been a long time since I have been playing,” said Rohit.
