New Delhi: Ajit Agarkar, BCCI selection committee chairman, on Saturday, revealed a meeting with star batter Virat Kohli last month to contemplate his future in Test cricket. Kohli called it quits from the longest format on May 12, leaving behind a permanent void in the Indian Test team. When the Agarkar-led selection panel announced a strong 18-man squad for the upcoming five-match Test series against England, Kohli was indeed discussed.
Not just Kohli, but former skipper Rohit Sharma wasn’t left out of the picture as well, who announced his Test retirement only five days (May 7) prior to Kohli’s. Agarkar said that the void left by them is tough to fill, but he hoped that other players would step up in the England Test series that begins in Headingley on June 20.
“When guys like that retire, they are stalwarts of cricket… it is always difficult, (their) shoes are very big to fill. But one way of looking at it is that it’s an opportunity for others,” Agarkar told the media, as quoted by PTI. Young batter Sai Sudharsan and Karun Nair have been roped in to replace the two stars in the crucial series next month.
But, the highlight of the press conference was when Agarkar shared that he met with Kohli a month back when the batter informed him about his desire to quit Test cricket. “Virat reached out (to the BCCI/selection committee) in early April, and he felt he had given everything he had. If he felt he could not be up to the standards that he has set, you have got to respect that. Needless to say, Rohit has been leading the team as well,” Agarkar added.
Prior to retirements…
The future of both veterans Rohit and Kohli was a hot topic of discussion as speculations ran rife about the two thinking of ending their Test stints. It all came after a series of underwhelming outings last year at home and away as well. The latest instance was the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25, in which India toured Australia, and although Kohli started with a bang, he faded away too quickly as well.
Kohli did start with a hundred at Perth but could end the tour with only 190 runs from five Tests, averaging 23. Rohit, who joined the squad after the first Test, was dismal as well, as he could just make 31 runs from five Tests at an average of 6.2. He eventually sat out of the fifth and final Test at Sydney.
When asked if BCCI lacked efforts in persuading the two batters to continue a little more, specifically focusing on the magnitude of the England series, Agarkar was quite blunt in his response. He said that building a new team for the next WTC cycle (2025-27) took precedence.
“When somebody takes a call (to retire), it is not up to me. Retirement is a personal call. It’s a new WTC (World Test Championship) cycle, and you are looking at all scenarios to help build a team,” he said, something similar to what head coach Gautam Gambhir had echoed a while ago. There were also rumours of Kohli wanting to travel to England for a farewell series, but Agarkar refrained from getting into it and simply said that the decision to quit Tests was his own.
“When somebody decides, it’s not up to us. Our job is to pick up someone. But yes… when somebody finishes, two big cricketers, it will be a hole to fill. Of course, (Mohammad) Shami too is there, as he has done a lot for Indian cricket,” he added.
On the sidelines of Team India’s squad announcement for the England Test series, chief selector Ajit Agarkar revealed meeting with Virat Kohli last month to discuss on his Test future. Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
