New Delhi: The past 48 hours have proven to be a rough patch for the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) as it dealt with the temporary suspension of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 and also with reports of Virat Kohli mulling over his Test retirement. The Saturday morning sent the Indian cricket fraternity in a state of shock when the news of Kohli thinking to call time on his red-ball career surfaced.
However, as per a Cricbuzz report, an “influential” figure was to be dispatched from the BCCI’s end in hopes of persuading Kohli to continue in the longest format of the game. The BCCI has managed to convince players to take crucial calls in the past as well, but a fresh report claims that all attempts from the BCCI have gone in vain as Kohli is adamant about taking the retirement call from Tests.
It was known that Kohli had already conveyed his decision to the BCCI, and a Times of India report claimed that the star batter had informed the selectors some two weeks back. “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,” a source was quoted as saying by TOI.
India will be touring England for a five-match Test series that starts in Headingley next month, and with Rohit Sharma and Ravichandran Ashwin already retired from the format, the absence of Kohli will be a huge setback for the Indian team. The team will be handicapped with a highly inexperienced top and middle order in the testing conditions of England.
Brian Lara’s failed attempt
The report also added that legendary West Indies cricketer Brian Lara tried to talk Kohli out of retirement, but Kohli’s decision didn’t move an inch. Several pleas were made to him by the great batter, but Kohli looked firm in his stance. The Indian cricket board is due to announce the squad for the crucial Test series against England, for which the selectors will be meeting at the start of the last week of May.
It seems it is only a matter of time before Kohli makes it official, or BCCI is able to do some magic and probably convince Kohli to feature for the nation in whites one last time.
There have been reports of Virat Kohli wishing to quit Test cricket and the BCCI’s quest to convince him not to step away from the format looking at the England tour next month. Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
