The cricket community was taken aback this morning by reports that veteran Virat Kohli had informed the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) that he wanted to retire from Test cricket. The announcement of former India Test captain Rohit Sharma’s retirement from red-ball cricket earlier this week was, to put it mildly, unexpected.
By his high standards, Kohli had a dismal series against Australia and New Zealand in recent months. He was reportedly considering retiring from the format during the 2024–25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy. According to information obtained, the BCCI intends to speak with him in order to persuade him to keep playing in the format.
Fans and past cricket players are asking the batting master to remain on, but only time will tell what Kohli decides. West Indies veteran Brian Lara is the next to urge Kohli to reconsider his choice after Ambati Rayudu. Lara believes the Board will persuade Kohli to keep playing red-ball cricket. The 56-year-old even asserted that if Kohli continues to play, he will average above 60 in the remaining portion of his Test career.
Virat is essential to test cricket! They will convince him.
He has no plans to give up playing Test cricket. For the rest of his Test career, @virat.kohli will average more than 60. Lara wrote, “#testcricket #thebest,” on Instagram.
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Despite the fact that Kohli’s purported choice seems to have been made suddenly, some experts believe it may have been impacted by the upcoming new WTC cycle. India’s June 20 England trip kicks off WTC 2025–27, and the team management may be considering assembling a team that can compete all the way, which may have affected Kohli’s stated choice.