An influential and former office-bearer of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is expected to speak to Virat Kohli before the selection committee meeting for the England tour in a bid to try and reverse his decision to retire from Test cricket.
A fortnight ago, Kohli informed the BCCI and the chairman of selection committee, Ajit Agarkar, that he was no more interested in playing the longest format of the game and that he should not be considered for the England tour.
It was then construed that he wasn’t keen on playing the five-Test series in England, but subsequent conversations with BCCI officials revealed that he would quit Test cricket. It is understood that he hasn’t cited any specific reason for not continuing with the longest format.
This comes in the backdrop of Rohit Sharma’s decision to quit Tests a few days ago. Kohli’s presence in England in the circumstances is being seen as an attempt by the BCCI to beef up the middle-order, which is already shorn of experience.
India will also have a new captain — most probably Shubman Gill — on the tour and Kohli’s presence is desirable and important. With 40 wins from 68 matches, Kohli is India’s most successful Test captain ahead of Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s 27 from 60 and Sourav Ganguly’s 21 from 49.
There is optimism that the former office-bearer will be able to convince Kohli to continue. Given his commitment to Test cricket, it is believed that he will agree to continue for some more time.
His Test career has spanned 14 years and included 123 Tests in which he has 9230 runs at an average of 46.85.
Kohli hasn’t maintained his lofty standards of late. When he scored 100 not out in Perth in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy opener, it was his first century in Tests since July 2023. In the remaining four matches, he managed a highest score of 36.
Kohli’s golden run came between 2016 and 2018 when he scored 3596 runs in 35 Tests at an average of 66.59, with 14 hundreds in 58 innings. Since 2020, his record is 2028 runs in 69 innings at an average of 30.72 with three centuries.
Both Rohit and Kohli’s form had come under scrutiny following the series in Australia, with the team management making it clear that current form would always get precedence over reputation. The Champions Trophy triumph did put an end to such discussions, but with the England series beginning next month, Kohli seems to have made up his mind.
There is also talk that a former India captain spoke to both the players on their future, under instructions from the BCCI, for the selectors to facilitate the transition process.
Rohit quit earlier this week once he got wind that he was no longer an automatic and unanimous choice of the national selectors for captaincy.
Kohli’s place had also been in doubt during the 2024 T20 World Cup, but a consistent IPL campaign, which preceded the ICC tournament, and Rohit’s insistence helped him make the squad.
The BCCI is also interested to know the reasons behind Kohli’s decision to step aside. Despite being a senior member, he wasn’t part of the review meeting that followed the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
Several conditions were imposed in the light of the debacle Down Under, including restrictions on families accompanying the players on
long tours.
The message that has emanated subsequent to the tour is pretty clear: The seniors’ days are numbered and the accent will be on youth to chalk out plans for the future.
Head coach Gautam Gambhir spoke his mind at the ABP Network India @2047 Summit on his vision for Rohit and Kohli. “Till the time they are performing, they should be a part of the team. When you start and when you end is your individual decision. No coach, no selector, no BCCI can tell you when you should call it quits. If you perform, then why 40, you can jolly well play till 45, who’s stopping you?” he said.
With the runs drying up, Kohli, 36, had to take a decision. But will the influential BCCI official manage to change Kohli’s mind?