Is Virat Kohli Retiring from Test Cricket? Here's What We Know - Reports

India’s star batter, Virat Kohli, has informed the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) that he wants to retire from Test cricket before the start of the England series. As per reports by the Indian Express, Kohli doesn’t wish to continue playing in red-ball cricket and wants to devote all his attention and focus on ODIs.

Virat Kohli Test Retirement: He May Announce His Retirement Soon

Sources revealed that Kohli, who has always been an advocate for red-ball cricket on international platforms, wants to put his foot down and continue playing white-ball cricket as of now. This news came as a shock to the selectors, who then advised the player to give it some thought and revert to them.

The selectors don't want Kohli to leave Test cricket yet, especially when they will be traveling to England to play an important series. This 5-match series will be the start of the upcoming World Test Championship (WTC) cycle, and hence, the Board wants Kohli to play for some more time.

“He has made up his mind and has informed the board that he is moving on from Test cricket. The BCCI has urged him to rethink as the crucial England tour is coming up. He is yet to revert on the request,” read the source. However, Virat Kohli test retirement date isn't revealed yet.

BCCI Considers Shubman Gill for Test Captaincy

With Rohit Sharma’s retirement, the selectors will already be looking for another opening option. They had Devdutt Padikkal in contention, but with his injury, their task just got more difficult. Now, they will have to lean on Sai Sudharsan as well because Ruturaj Gaikwad is also suffering from injury. Moreover, Shubman Gill is currently batting at the No. 3 position, which they wouldn't want to disturb.

The Board members are also looking for a Test captain who will be physically fit and can play all the matches in the upcoming series without any injury scare. As per reports, they are planning to make Shubman Gill the captain of India, ignoring Jasprit Bumrah because of injury and workload concerns. As per sources, Bumrah might not play all the matches, and the selectors need a player who will be available throughout the series.

“We want a player who will be available for all five Test matches, and he should be given the vice-captain’s role. Bumrah won’t be playing all five matches, so we don’t want to appoint different deputies for different games. It will be better if the captain and vice-captain should be certain and play all five Tests,” said a BCCI source as quoted by the Hindustan Times.

Virat Kohli’s glorious Test career

The star batter has been an asset to the Indian team in Test cricket. As a player and a captain, he took the team to heights which was impossible to even imagine at one point. When MS Dhoni retired from Test cricket, passing the baton to the young Kohli, India were at the No. 7 position. As time passed, the 36-year-old cricketer shaped the Indian team to such an extent that they won series in Australia and England, which was no less than a dream.

Kohli made his Test debut in 2011 and had a rough phase in the 2012-13 season. However, his comeback was louder than his setback. After 14 years of an incredible career, Kohli has played 123 matches and amassed 9230 runs, at an average of 46.85. Despite having a bad phase over the last few years, the batter has not let his average drop. He has scored 30 centuries and 31 half-centuries in red-ball cricket. It will be interesting to see whether he will decide to return or say goodbye to the format forever.