Indian cricket team’s senior player Virat Kohli has informed the BCCI that he wants to retire from Test cricket. However, the board has tried to persuade him as a big tour of England is about to come. According to a newspaper, ‘Virat has made up his mind and told the board that he now wants to move on from Test cricket. But the board has asked him to think again. Virat has not yet given any answer to this.’

This decision has come at a time when Rohit Sharma also retired from Test cricket a few days ago. Now in a few days the selection committee will select the team for the 5-Test series against England.

According to sources, Virat started thinking of retirement from Tests during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia earlier this year. After scoring a century in the first Test, he flopped in the rest of the matches. His average in 5 Tests was just 23.75 and 7 of those times he was dismissed on a ball outside the off stump.

If Virat also retires and Rohit has already left, India will be left with an inexperienced middle order. Currently, the top order consists of Shubman Gill, KL Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal, and Rishabh Pant at the bottom.

For so many years, Rohit and Virat have been leading the Test team together. Virat started captaincy in 2014 and Rohit in 2022. Now with the departure of both, the team will enter a new era.

According to a report, the selectors are now considering making a young player the Test captain. Shubman Gill’s name is at the forefront.

36-year-old Virat Kohli has played 123 Tests so far, in which he has scored 9230 runs, with an average of 46.85. But his average has dropped in the last 5 years he has scored just 1990 runs in 37 matches, which includes only 3 centuries.

After the Australia tour, at an RCB event, Virat had said, ‘I might not have an Australia tour again in me in four years’. Sharing his thoughts, he had said that the things and pressures outside were bothering him from within.

Virat had told that he had talked to Rahul Dravid, who gave him the perspective to stay honest with himself. He said, ‘It pretty much comes down to just the pure joy and enjoyment and love for the game. And as long as that love is intact, I will continue to play the game. I have to be honest about that with myself.’

Now it seems that Virat has got the same ‘clarity’ that he had talked about.

Now it remains to be seen whether Virat will accept the board’s decision and remain in Test cricket or remain firm on his decision.

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