Virat Kohli’s declaration of his retirement from Test cricket has created a stir in both India and the cricket world. Given that India no longer plays many ODIs, the Monday morning announcement is effectively a near-total superannuation from international cricket after having already abandoned T20Is.
There are a lot of things involved here. In 2014, he was requested to swim to safety after being tossed into the ocean, as is customary in the Indian Navy, when taking over as captain of the Indian squad during a series in Australia. He thrives on challenges like these, and he was essentially prepared for them all. After settling into his position, he met with the coach, chief selector, senior players, and the BCCI, the Indian team think tank, to plan and strategise how to make India the world’s top Test squad.
He wanted specific kinds of bowlers in order to win Test matches abroad, thus there was a lot of focus on them. He was prepared to take on this significant challenge. He desired to be forced into a difficult situation, but he also desired to restore India’s glory in Test matches. India won the ICC World Test Mace in 2017, 2018, and 2019 for the third consecutive year. Additionally, he had won twice in Australia, once in England (the series was eventually drawn after India played the fifth Test, which was influenced by COVID), and he had nearly defeated South Africa in South Africa.
However, his performance graph has been declining for the past three years; he only managed 93 runs in three home Test matches against New Zealand towards the end of last year, and 190 runs in the five away Test matches in the BGT series in Australia. He has amassed 1990 runs at an average of almost 32 in 37 Test matches since 2022. He was slipping well short of the lofty goals he had set for himself. He did not approve of that.
He desired to be challenged in order to find himself or to come back to life. In sharp contrast to the former dressing room atmosphere, he was not receiving the freedom, the proper setting, or the right vibrations from the authorities under the new and current dispensation.
The majority of those players have left, as have the previous coaches. The squad is going through a transformation, and if Kohli had been given the task and challenge of leading the change, he could have persisted. But he was not going to be the captain. In 2022, he last captained India in the Cape Town Test.
When Gautam Gambhir was asked in a recent TV interview if he had the chance to enter the body of a cricket player, which one would it be? Virat Kohli was the response. The two Delhi youngsters have a lengthy history together, but according to people close to the Indian team’s locker room, they did not bond very well. Players in the lengthy format of test cricket spend many days together.
It’s crucial that the atmosphere is favourable there, and people who know Kohli well say he wasn’t particularly content.
Is there a connection to Rohit Sharma’s recent retirement? According to sources, the answer is no. Although they are not the closest of friends, they do show respect for one another. Perhaps things might have turned out differently if the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) had postponed the changeover until after the England series, when a young player like Shubman Gill is anticipated to take over. Maybe! The other viewpoint, however, is also legitimate: the team management preferred more permanence over an interim solution as the World Test Championship (WTC) cycle began with the England series.
Before answering the phone, Kohli reportedly spoke with his buddy, mentor, mentor, and philosopher Ravi Shastri. There is a rumour circulating the ecosystem that Kohli has long since made the decision to quit Test cricket. He was also supposed to talk to Jay Shah, the former secretary of the BCCI, but it’s unclear if that has actually happened. He was scheduled to meet with Rajeev Shukla, a powerful person in the BCCI. However, given the recent border tensions, it might not have happened. It makes sense that he has recently spoken on the phone at least twice with head selector Ajit Agarkar.
Next, who and what?
Although Rishabh Pant is a possibility for the captaincy, Gill is thought to have been the pick of the selectors. Who will bat at number four is the other crucial question. Although it is said that the selectors are searching for a fresh opener to partner with Yashasvi Jaiswal, Pant would have been a possibility. Gill would bat at No. 4 and KL Rahul at No. 3, or vice versa, if they are successful. Before the squad is announced, which is probably going to happen on May 23, the BCCI needs to make some crucial selections.
While the Indian players are still playing in the IPL, Ben Stokes and his colleagues are reportedly working hard to prepare for the forthcoming five-Test marquee series, according to reports from England. A four-day Test match against Zimbabwe is scheduled to commence at Trent Bridge on Thursday after a training camp in Loughborough starts this week. Like Kohli, the incoming Indian captain might be plunged into the deep end of the ocean. Will he be able to handle the pressure?
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