The past 48 hours have been harsh on the BCCI and Indian cricket. Given the ongoing military tensions between India and Pakistan, the Indian Premier League 2025 was suspended on Friday, and less than 24 hours later, the board was handed another bolt out of the blue when Virat Kohli, Indian cricket’s biggest star, informed the BCCI about his desire to retire from Test cricket. Although Kohli had told the board that he wants to move away from a format he so passionately has vouched for during his career, it was only on Saturday morning that the news hit media outlets and sent former cricketers, fans, and pundits into a state of shock.
There was hope when several reports claimed that the BCCI was trying its best to urge Kohli to reconsider his decision. India is set to tour England for a five-match series starting June 20 in Headingley, and Rohit Sharma and Ravichandran Ashwin have already retired, which could leave the Indian team severely handicapped in the testing conditions of England. But as per the Times of India, despite pleas from legends such as Brian Lara and the board’s best efforts, Kohli has made up his mind and isn’t budging from his stance.
“Kohli had informed the selectors two weeks ago about his desire to quit Tests. They were trying to persuade him to play in the Test series against England. However, he is still firm on his stance. The final call will come close to the selection meeting next week,” TOI quoted a source as saying.
Virat Kohli knows best
And honestly, Kohli’s refusal to listen to the BCCI isn’t exactly a surprise. He has never been one to be influenced by what others have to say. Kohli has played the game and been a legend long enough to know what’s right for him. The adage ‘a player knows best when it’s time to retire’ may be old and clichéd, but it actually stands true. At 36, Kohli is in the final leg of his cricketing career. Gone are the days when he would dominate bowling in Test cricket – Australia 2014 and England 2018 are a thing of the past. And after his dismal tour of Australia – which started on a high with a century in Perth – Kohli and India’s form dwindled as the 2024/25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy returned to Australian shores.
Kohli’s vulnerability outside off-stump is a weakness everyone has exploited, and sadly, there seems to be no end to his woes. Hark back to his batting in the second innings of the Sydney Test as Kohli nicked Scott Boland to second slip. He smashed his pad with his bat in disgust as he walked back. A report even claimed that Kohli said ‘I am done’ after India’s 1-3 defeat to Australia, but no one took it seriously. And hey, if he had really made up his mind, there was no point in him turning out to play for Delhi in the Ranji Trophy match against Haryana at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in February. But the fact that he did, reaffirmed the belief that Kohli wasn’t going anywhere.
But here’s another fact. Father Time waits for no one. It snares up its victim eventually. Kohli’s firm bottom hand, which was once his strength, that envious wristwork that every peer wished for, is now letting him down, time and again. Many before Kohli have come and gone. During the Champions Trophy, when the visual between Kohli and Smith emerged, where apparently Smith said ‘Yes’ when Kohli asked ‘Last match?’, Virat’s face told a bigger story than the Aussie great’s.
If Kohli does bow out, an announcement which could come close to next week, when the BCCI announces India’s squad for the five-Test series against England and also the next Test captain, it would leave him in the same space as Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman and Virender Sehwag, three greats who did not get a farewell game for India.