It was May, and IPL 2025 was in full swing, approaching its conclusion. Fans were busy pondering the chances of their favourite teams reaching the playoff stage when suddenly two massive jolts hit the enthusiasts. Within a few days, two of the biggest stalwarts of Indian cricket, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, announced their respective Test retirements. It was unexpected as neither of the two had expressed any intention to bid adieu to the longest format of the game before. Moreover, there were striking reports that stated that both Rohit and Kohli were looking forward to the England tour.
BCCI opens up on whether Kohli and Sharma were forced to retire from Test cricket
As things did not add up, many fanatics on social media alleged that BCCI compelled both Kohli and Sharma to retire against their will. Some of the diehard fans of both cricketers still assume head coach Gautam Gambhir, chief selector Ajit Agarkar and BCCI had something to do with the retirement of the batters.
Until Tuesday, the key personnel of the Board of Control for Cricket in India did not pay heed to any social media noise, but the query finally reached the vice president of BCCI Rajeev Shukla.
Shukla, who was in attendance at Lord’s for the third India vs England Test, has ended the rumours once and for all, saying the decision to retire is a player’s own and no one in the cricket body can force him to make this decision.
“I want to make it very clear once and for all. We are all feeling the absence of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. The decision to retire was made by Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli on their own. It is the policy of BCCI that we never tell any player to retire. It was their call,” Shukla told ANI in London.
“They have taken retirement on their own. We will always consider them as legendary batters. It’s very good for us that both of them are available for ODIs,” he added.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsRohit was the first one to announce his retirement. He disseminated his decision on May 7, through an Instagram story. He played 67 Tests and scored 4,301 runs at an average of 40.57. With his departure, the captain’s position also became void. Shubman Gill was picked as the captain who will lead India in Tests.
Five days later, on May 12, Kohli also waived his goodbye to his beloved format of the game. Kohli also used the Instagram medium to announce his decision. He featured in 123 Tests and finished with 9,230 runs.