Virat Kohli wants to retire from Tests ahead of India tour of England

In a shocking update from India's Test camp, Virat Kohli has informed the BCCI of his desire to retire from the longer format. Not long ago, Rohit Sharma announced his retirement from the format ahead of the start of the new WTC cycle. Sharma's retirement announcement came shortly after reports emerged about the BCCI's intent to revamp the team's leadership. Meanwhile, Kohli, one of the senior-most members of the Indian squad, seems to be following the lead of the Indian opener. The BCCI, however, has requested the former captain to reassess his decision, highlighting the importance of his presence in the upcoming India tour of England.

Virat Kohli wants to call time on Test career, BCCI urges the star batter to reconsider ahead of the India Tour of England

The report informs that the BCCI is now awaiting a revert from the player on their request. The board is clear that Kohli's experience and skills would be crucial for Team India in England. The India tour of England, scheduled to start from June this year, would kick off the new WTC Cycle for the team. With the retirement of Rohit Sharma, the team would be led by a new prospect. Currently, the 25-year-old Shubman Gill is the frontrunner to win India's Test captaincy after the exit of Rohit Sharma. In such scenarios, the availability of Virat Kohli would bring the much-needed expertise in the otherwise raw team.

“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,” sources told this newspaper.

The 2023-25 WTC Cycle concluded disappointingly for Team India. The team, led by Rohit Sharma, endured a series whitewash at home against New Zealand. The 3-0 win by the Kiwis was the first-ever whitewash recorded by any team on Indian soil. The hard-hitting blow was followed by a 1-3 defeat in the Border Gavaskar Trophy down under. The Kangaroos, consequently, reclaimed the BGT for the first time in over a decade. Meanwhile, the consecutive defeats eliminated India from the WTC Final qualification race. Since the inception of the marquee event in 2021, the 2025 WTC Final would mark the first instance of Team India not qualifying for the match. 

India's disappointing run in the conclusive phase of the WTC Cycle came on the back of a collective slump in the Indian batting order. Meanwhile, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma staged the loudest struggle, failing to counter Australia in the foreign conditions. Their bats remained silent against New Zealand as well in home conditions. Naturally, when the WTC Cycle concluded, it bore massive scrutiny for the senior batters. Kohli's struggle in Australia was especially frustrating, with the batter getting dismissed by an outside-the-off-stump delivery 8 out of the 9 times he was dismissed down under. Despite a century in the second innings of the opening Test, Kohli ended up with an average of 23.75 after 5 Tests in Australia.

Now, as the team gears up to kick-start another WTC Cycle, the BCCI is intent on bringing about a fresh lead. With the board finding a new captaincy prospect, Rohit Sharma, on May 7, announced his Test retirement. As the board now weighs in between Shubman Gill and Jasprit Bumrah for India's Test captaincy, Virat Kohli has sent shockwaves with his decision. Despite his recent slump, Kohli is one of the best batters for India in the format. Overall, Virat Kohli has scored 9,230 runs across 123 Tests at an average of 46.85 for the team.