Virat Kohli Leaves BCCI In Shock With Massive Retirement Call Ahead Of England Tour: Report (Source: AP)
Both Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli were struggling in Tests for a while, and there were questions about their place in the Test squad. While BCCI’s stance on Rohit Sharma was unclear, the board was keen to have Kohli on the tour to England. Kohli was even one of the names discussed to captain India in England after Rohit Sharma’s retirement.
“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.
According to the report, Kohli was thinking about his Test retirement since the Border-Gavaskar Trophy , where he scored a century in the first Test in Perth, but failed to make any significant contribution in the following matches.
Kohli has played 123 Tests for India, scoring 9230 runs at an average of 46.85; however, he only scored 1990 runs in 37 games with three centuries in the last five years. After a horrible run in Australia, where he averaged a mere 23.75 despite a hundred, Kohli dropped a hint about his retirement and said there might not be another Australia tour in him. “I might not have an Australia tour again in me in four years’ time,” Kohli had said during an event.
Meanwhile, if Kohli decides to retire, Rishabh Pant and KL Rahul will be the most senior players in the middle order. Reportedly, Shubman Gill could be named the India captain for the series despite his low returns in Tests in recent times.
