‘Virat Kohli didn’t have five years of Test cricket left in him': Paras Mhambrey says retirement sad but correct
How much cricket did Rohit and Kohli have? Rohit was 38, Kohli was 36. Kohli's fitness standards are unquestioned, but one does have to look at the future.
On May 7, 2025, India captain Rohit Sharma announced his retirement from Test cricket. Virat Kohli did the same on May 12th. In five days, India lost the experience of nearly 200 Test matches and a truckload of memories. It's always an emotional blow when players of the stature of Kohli and Rohit decide to say goodbye. Couldn't they have carried on for a little longer? At least till this upcoming WTC cycle? The disappointments give rise to obvious questions.
And then comes the pain of realising not to be able to see them grace the whites again. Just like Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman, Zaheer and a few other greats of Indian cricket, Rohit and Kohli did not get a farewell match. A social media post does little to serve as a proper goodbye. But once the emotions settle, one begins to think practically.
How much cricket did Rohit and Kohli have in their tanks? Rohit was 38, Kohli was 36. Kohli's fitness standards are unquestioned, but one does have to look at the future in a nation like India, where there is no shortage of batting talent. Former India bowling coach Paras Mhambrey said Kohli and Rohit did not have five years of Test cricket left in them, and they knew that.
"Virat didn't have five years of test cricket left in him. You knew that, right? Their individual battles that they fought, they must have realised that it was time," Mhambrey told Hindustan Times in an exclusive chat.
Kohli and Rohit are cricketers who give everything on the field and Mhambrey said once they realised that it won't be possible for them to give more than 100 per cent, they decided to draw the curtains.
“They always say how valuable they could be in their contribution. And sometimes, it's the motivation bit. Maybe they were not as motivated to play that format. They'll not be able to give their best to that format. And that's the way they approach. So very selfless approach, both of them,” Mhambrey, who was a part of the coaching staff of India's T20 World Cup-winning team, added.
Since making his Test debut in 2011 against the West Indies, Kohli has played 113 Test matches, scoring over 8,900 runs at an impressive average of 49.29 (as of June 2025). He has registered 29 Test centuries and 30 half-centuries, including seven double hundreds, a record for an Indian captain.
Why did Rohit and Kohli retire from Tests? Mhambrey explains
Kohli's best Test score is 254 not out, achieved against South Africa in 2019. Between 2016 and 2018, he enjoyed one of the most prolific runs in modern Test cricket, averaging above 75 during that period. He became the first Indian to score four double centuries in consecutive series, and also holds the record for the most Test wins as an Indian captain (40).
But it was the last few years that would pinch Kohli. His average dipped massively, and the centuries started to dry out. His vulnerabilities outside the off stump were out in the open.
Rohit, on the other hand, had an entirely different beginning in Test cricket. He started off with two centuries in his first series against the West Indies but then never managed to cement his place in the XI as a middle-order batter until Kohli and Ravi Shastri asked him to open the batting in 2019.
Rohit found a lot of success at the top of the order, just like he did in white-ball cricket, but the last 12 months were particularly difficult for the Indian captain. The runs just didn't come against New Zealand and Australia. His form was so bad that he decided to drop himself from the playing XI in the Sydney Test in Australia.
In an interview with Star Sports, Rohit announced that it was not a decision to retire. He still has a lot left in the tank, but as the selection for the England tour came near, Rohit was informed by the selectors that they are looking at a captain.
"Sometimes you are not in the frame of mind to go through the grind. If I'm not there 100%, I would rather just be honest and say that, I'm good in one format. Let me focus on the other format, which I can be more useful for the team," Mhambrey said, pointing to Rohit and Kohli still being available for ODIs.
India will miss Rohit, Kohli and Ashwin
The current MI bowling coach said India will miss the services of Rohit, Kohli, and Ravichandran Ashwin, who was the first among the trio to retire in the middle of the Australia tour.
"It's sad and unfortunate that both have quit in a very, very close duration. Sometimes it happens that one of the greats retires and then the other is around with the younger guys to come in and grow, kind of thing. But, yeah, that's the reality of this format. They have made a decision, and you respect that for the reasons, knowing that they've gone about it very selflessly. But, yeah, there are three of them, I would say. We'll miss Ash, man, I'm telling you. All three of them."
