Virat Kohli Follows Rohit Sharma's Footsteps; Announces Retirement From Tests

India’s star batter, Virat Kohli, had informed the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) that he wants to retire from Test cricket before the start of the England series. As per reports by the Indian Express, Kohli doesn’t wish to continue playing in red-ball cricket and wants to devote all his attention and focus on ODIs.

The reports claimed that a top BCCI official tried his best to persuade Kohli to play at least the England Test series. However, the former India captain wasn't interested in playing the format anymore. After Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli became the second high-profile player in recent days to retire from Test cricket.

Virat Kohli Test Retirement

Sources revealed that Kohli, who has always been an advocate for red-ball cricket on international platforms, wanted to put his foot down but wants to continue playing white-ball cricket as of now. This news came as a shock to the selectors, who had also advised the player to give it some thought and revert to them.

The selectors didn't want Kohli to leave Test cricket yet, especially when they will be traveling to England to play an important series. This 5-match series will be the start of the upcoming World Test Championship (WTC) cycle, and hence, the Board wanted Kohli to play for some more time. However, Kohli is adamant about leaving the format.

Virat Kohli took to Instagram to announce his retirement from Test cricket. His retirement came as a big shock to the fans, who could hardly believe about it. Kohli has been a top cricketer for India in Tests over the last decade and a designated No. 4 batter in the format. It is a slot given to the best batter in the team, and Kohli was truly one of them.

Both Rohit and Kohli had retired from the T20I format at the same time, and it has been the same case in Test cricket as well. However, both of them are looking forward to playing ODI cricket and have their eyes set on the World Cup 2027. The experience of both these players will be highly important in that tournament.

Kohli's wife Anushka Sharma was emotional on the retirement of her husband from the Test format. Anushka took to social media to express her views and revealed the importance of Test cricket in Kohli's life.

Sachin Tendulkar Congratulates Virat Kohli

A flurry of congratulatory messages arrived after Virat Kohli announced his retirement from Test cricket. One of those messages was from the legendary Indian cricketer Sachin Tendulkar, who has been an inspiration for Kohli. Before Kohli, Tendulkar used to bat for India at No. 4 in Test cricket. Tendulkar remembered the time when he himself retired almost a decade ago and spoke about Kohli's achievements in India whites.

Virat Kohli’s Glorious Test Career

The star batter has been an asset to the Indian team in Test cricket. As a player and a captain, he took the team to heights which was impossible to even imagine at one point. When MS Dhoni retired from Test cricket, passing the baton to the young Kohli, India were at the No. 7 position. As time passed, the 36-year-old cricketer shaped the Indian team to such an extent that they won series in Australia and England, which was no less than a dream.

Kohli made his Test debut in 2011 and had a rough phase in the 2012-13 season. However, his comeback was louder than his setback. After 14 years of an incredible career, Kohli has played 123 matches and amassed 9230 runs, at an average of 46.85. Despite having a bad phase over the last few years, the batter has not let his average drop. He has scored 30 centuries and 31 half-centuries in red-ball cricket. It will be interesting to see whether he will decide to return or say goodbye to the format forever.

BCCI Considers Shubman Gill For Test Captaincy

With Rohit Sharma’s retirement, the selectors will already be looking for another opening option. They had Devdutt Padikkal in contention, but with his injury, their task just got more difficult. Now, they will have to lean on Sai Sudharsan as well because Ruturaj Gaikwad is also suffering from injury. Moreover, Shubman Gill is currently batting at the No. 3 position, which they wouldn't want to disturb.

The Board members are also looking for a Test captain who will be physically fit and can play all the matches in the upcoming series without any injury scare. As per reports, they are planning to make Shubman Gill the captain of India, ignoring Jasprit Bumrah because of injury and workload concerns. As per sources, Bumrah might not play all the matches, and the selectors need a player who will be available throughout the series.

“We want a player who will be available for all five Test matches, and he should be given the vice-captain’s role. Bumrah won’t be playing all five matches, so we don’t want to appoint different deputies for different games. It will be better if the captain and vice-captain should be certain and play all five Tests,” said a BCCI source as quoted by the Hindustan Times.

With Virat Kohli retiring from Tests, India will have to look for a new player to fill in his spot in the middle order. His experience will be missed in Test cricket, and India are likely to go with a young team for a challenging England tour. It remains to be seen how these youngsters perform in the absence of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli.