With India all set to take on England in a five-game Test series starting from May 20, the side will be without the services of ace batter Rohit Sharma, who announced his retirement from the longest format recently. However, shortly after Rohit announced his retirement, rumours emerged that Virat Kohli is looking to call time on his Test career as well.
Reports stated that Kohli informed the BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) about his decision to retire from Test cricket, and the board has told him to reconsider his decision. With his retirement hanging by a thread, former Australia cricketer Michael Clarke took centre stage and opined that Kohli should continue to play for India in the longest format.
"I hope the rumors aren’t true. I believe Virat still has a lot of Test runs in him and any team with him in it is a better team,” Clarke was quoted as saying by Revsportz.
Furthermore, Clarke went on to talk about Rohit Sharma’s decision to retire from Test cricket. The former World Cup winning captain reflected on how Rohit Sharma would be very difficult for India to replace as a captain in the side.
"He is a player that any team would miss. Tactically as a captain he will be very hard to replace. He read the game exceptionally well," said Clarke.
It is worth noting that Rohit Sharma took over India’s captaincy in the longest format in February 2022. He led India to the World Test Championship final in 2023, and the side won 12 out of the 24 Test matches that they played under Rohit’s leadership.
With the England tour approaching, the BCCI have the added responsibility to announce a new skipper, and aim to get off to a great start to the new World Test Championship cycle.