Who will guide Indian Test team if Virat Kohli decides to retire before England series?

Virat Kohli reportedly told the BCCI that he wishes to retire from Test cricket after much contemplation, leaving cricket fans in utter dismay. The news comes not long after Indian captain Rohit Sharma announced his retirement from Test cricket earlier this week. Top BCCI officials reportedly have asked the 36-year-old to reconsider.

 

 

Virat Kohli became India's Test captain in December 2014 before Rohit Sharma took over in 2022. Thirty-six players have captained the Indian men's Test cricket team, of which Virat Kohli is the most successful with 40 wins. Having played 123 matches for India, the Delhi batter scored 9,230 runs at an average of 46.85. 

 

Meanwhile, fans pointed to his words from an RCB event earlier this year, where he mentioned, "I might not have another Australia tour in me." Fans contemplate whether that was a reference to retirement in hindsight. 

 

The development comes when India is not brimming with experienced batters to replace Rohit and Virat's void in the batting order ahead of the England tour. India is set to tour England for a five-Test series, starting on June 20, and the board was scheduled to meet to discuss the team soon.

 

In their last Test series in Australia, India underwent a tough outing, facing a 3-1 defeat. 

 

What next?

According to sources, Shubhman Gill and Jasprit Bumrah are in contention for India's Test captaincy. According to a ICC news website, "While Bumrah has shown he can do the job, the knock on the champion fast bowler is whether his body will be able to stand up to the rigours of Test cricket and long five-match series at this stage of his career." Bumrah's previous captaincy includes a win against Australia and a loss against England. As for Shubhman Gill, "The player has long been seen as a future captaincy candidate at Test level and his tactical nous in the IPL with the Gujarat Titans shows that perhaps this will come to fruition in time," said the ICC in a report.

 

Also mentioned are the names of KL Rahul,  Rishabh Pant, and Shreyas Iyer.

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