Just days after Rohit Sharma’s abrupt exit from Test cricket, the news of Virat Kohli informing the BCCI of his intent to retire from the longest format has left Indian cricket fans in disbelief. For a player who was once the face of India’s red-ball resurgence and carried the torch for the format globally, the development has stirred a wave of emotional reactions across social media.
According to a report from the Indian Express, Kohli reportedly communicated his decision to the BCCI, and the BCCI has since urged the star Indian batter to stay. The development, coming just before a BCCI meeting for the England tour, has triggered widespread attention. Both Kohli and Rohit had earlier stepped away from T20Is together after India’s World Cup win in Barbados. Now, within months, India’s Test batting core is facing another major transition.
The news hits harder given the timing; India are entering a new World Test Championship cycle, and with Rohit and Kohli possibly gone, the batting unit will be led by a relatively young core in Shubman Gill, KL Rahul, and Yashasvi Jaiswal. India also endured a tough outing in their last Test series against Australia, where the side faced a 3-1 defeat. With a challenging English tour looming, an inexperienced batting order isn't an ideal situation for the team management, even as Kohli did face a rough outing in Australia.
{{/usCountry}}The news hits harder given the timing; India are entering a new World Test Championship cycle, and with Rohit and Kohli possibly gone, the batting unit will be led by a relatively young core in Shubman Gill, KL Rahul, and Yashasvi Jaiswal. India also endured a tough outing in their last Test series against Australia, where the side faced a 3-1 defeat. With a challenging English tour looming, an inexperienced batting order isn't an ideal situation for the team management, even as Kohli did face a rough outing in Australia.
{{/usCountry}}Several fans pointed to his words from an RCB event earlier this year, where he reflected on the toll of the Australia tour: “I might not have another Australia tour in me, so I am at peace with whatever happened in the past.” That line now feels like a farewell in hindsight.
Despite a forgettable run Down Under, Kohli’s overall Test record; 123 matches, 9,230 runs, 30 centuries, remains etched in Indian cricket’s golden pages.