India, in a manner of speaking, are two wickets down even before commencing their tour of England. Worse, the wickets lost are of India’s Big Guns. First, Rohit Sharma announced his retirement from Test cricket; he has now been followed by Virat Kohli who, too, let it be known that he was quitting the longest format of the game. Neither age nor form was by Mr Sharma’s side when he called it quits. So his decision is understandable. But the reasons for Mr Kohli’s retirement remain unclear. His inconsistent form, changes in the team’s support staff, the departure of the former coach, Rahul Dravid, whispers of rejection by the powers that be of Mr Kohli’s wish to be at the helm of a team in transition — each of these factors, individually or in combination, may have prompted him to call it a day from Test cricket. However, instead of speculating on the reasons for their departure, it would be apt, given the sad hour, to assess their shining legacies in Test cricket for the country. Statistics would confirm the yeoman’s services that were rendered by Mr Sharma and Mr Kohli, in particular, to India as batsmen and captains. Both have Test averages of over 40, signifying their class and potency. Additionally, Mr Kohli holds the record of winning the highest number of Tests as captain even though his show of aggression raised eyebrows at times. Both cricketers also belonged to that diminishing tribe of players who, in their prime, were adept at playing all three formats of the game.
The Indian team is not lacking in talent. But what the dressing room will miss in cricket’s longest format are the years of experience that the two men brought to the side. Hopefully, in the days to come, the Board of Control for Cricket in India will have the wisdom to seek the expertise and counsel of Mr Sharma and Mr Kohli to brighten the future of Indian cricket. A quibble, though, remains. Cricket is a game of timing. Has the BCCI got the timing of Mr Kohli’s departure in Tests right?