Virat Kohli Informs BCCI About Test Retirement, Board Urges Reconsideration Amid England Tour
In a major development that could mark the end of an era in Indian cricket, Virat Kohli has informed the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) of his decision to retire from Test cricket. The timing of the announcement, just ahead of India’s crucial tour of England, has prompted the BCCI to urge Kohli to reconsider.
If Kohli goes through with the decision, and with Rohit Sharma already stepping away from red-ball cricket, India will be left without the guiding hands of two veterans who have led the Test side for nearly 11 years. Kohli became Test captain in December 2014, while Rohit took over the reins in February 2022.
Earlier this week, The Indian Express reported that selectors were considering a younger player to lead the Test team into a new cycle. In the wake of that news, Rohit announced his Test retirement. Shubman Gill is currently the frontrunner to take over as Test captain, sources say.
The 36-year-old Kohli has played 123 Tests, scoring 9,230 runs at an average of 46.85. However, his form has waned over the past five years, during which he scored 1,990 runs in 37 matches with just three centuries. His most recent Test outing in Australia was particularly disappointing—he averaged 23.75 in five matches, and was dismissed seven out of eight times by deliveries outside the off stump.
Reflecting on that tour during an event in March for his IPL team, Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), Kohli admitted:
“I might not have an Australia tour again in me in four years’ time.”
He also spoke candidly about the mental toll of recent performances:
“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.”
With India looking to rebuild for the next World Test Championship cycle, the selectors face a tough task of nurturing young talent while preserving competitiveness in challenging overseas conditions.
A final word from Kohli is awaited, even as fans and officials hope he might delay retirement until after the England tour.
