Virat Kohli, the former India captain, has notified the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) of his plan to retire from Test cricket ahead of the England tour starting on June 20, sources revealed to India Today. Kohli shared his decision with the BCCI a few days ago and is expected to miss the five-match Test series in England.
“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 this newspaper.
Kohli’s move follows closely on the heels of Rohit Sharma’s recent retirement from the Test format. Meanwhile, the Indian selectors are preparing to meet soon to finalize the squad for the upcoming five-match Test series in England scheduled for next month.
Virat Kohli has been thinking about retiring from Test cricket after a tough series in Australia. If he does, along with Rohit Sharma’s exit, India will be left with a young and less experienced middle order and no senior leaders in the team.
Shubman Gill Likely to Lead as Kohli’s Test Future Remains Unclear
Selectors are reportedly eyeing a younger captain for the next Test cycle, with Shubman Gill seen as the top contender. Kohli, 36, has played 123 Tests, scoring 9,230 runs at an average of 46.85, but his form has dipped in recent years, including a disappointing tour of Australia where he averaged just 23.75.
Speaking at the event about the mental pressures after the recent Test failures, he said:
“Once you start taking on the energy and the disappointment from the outside, then you start burdening yourself way more… And then you start thinking about things, like ‘I’ve got two or three days left on this tour, I need to make an impact now’. And you start getting more desperate. That’s something I’ve surely experienced in Australia as well.”
Elaborating on that thought, he further stated:
“Because I got a good score in the first Test. I thought, ‘right, let’s go’. There’s going to be another big series for me. It doesn’t turn out that way. For me, it’s just about the acceptance of ‘okay fine, this is what happened. I’m going to be honest with myself. Where do I want to go? What are my energy levels like’.”
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