Could Virat Kohli Have Delayed His Test Retirement? 'If I Were The Indian Chief Selector...'

Could Virat Kohli Have Delayed His Test Retirement? 'If I Were The Indian Chief Selector...'

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Last Updated: August 12, 2025, 11:02 IST

Virat Kohli gave no indications of Test retirement and in fact was looking forward to a productive England tour.

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Virat Kohli retired with with 9230 runs from 123 Tests. (PTI Photo)

Did Virat Kohli announce his Test retirement prematurely? Could he have waited for one last stint in Test whites for India before drawing curtains on a glorious red-ball career? The questions will continue to rankle for some time to come even though his absence wasn’t felt as India’s next generation stepped up admirably during their recent tour of England.

While the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy ended 2-2 with India producing an epic comeback in the fifth Test at The Oval for a six-run win, former India batter and chief selector Dilip Vengsarkar feels that the team needed a cricketer of Kohli’s caliber for the England tour.

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“If I were the Indian chief selector, I would have persuaded Virat to bid goodbye to Test cricket after playing the England series. We needed his class and experience in this series," Vengsarkar, who played 116 Tests between 1976 and 1992, told The Times of India.

Kohli had given no prior indication of him nursing the thoughts of Test retirement before sharing the announcement via social media. He retires with 9230 runs from 123 Tests.

Kohli, Rohit To Retire From ODIs?

Meanwhile, speculations are rife over the ODI futures of Kohli and Rohit Sharma with reports claiming that India’s upcoming white-ball tour of Australia could be the final stint at the international level for the two stalwarts.

Both Rohit and Kohli have retired from Tests and T20Is but remain available for ODIs. The duo has been out of action since the IPL 2025.

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Former India captain Sourav Ganguly feels that should Rohit and Kohli manage to do well in Australia, they should continue playing the format.

“I’m not aware of this (Rohit and Kohli’s ODI retirements), can’t comment on this. It’s difficult to say. Whoever does well will play. If they do well, they should continue. Kohli’s one-day record is phenomenal, even Rohit Sharma’s. Both of them are phenomenal in white-ball cricket," he said.

About the Author Feroz Khan Feroz Khan has been covering sports for over 12 years now and is currently working with Network18 as Principal Correspondent. He embarked on his journey in 2011 and has since acquired vast experience in digital... Read More Feroz Khan has been covering sports for over 12 years now and is currently working with Network18 as Principal Correspondent. He embarked on his journey in 2011 and has since acquired vast experience in digital... Read More

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First Published: August 12, 2025, 11:02 IST

News cricket Could Virat Kohli Have Delayed His Test Retirement? 'If I Were The Indian Chief Selector...'

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