Kohli wants to quit Tests, but will India let him go

Virat Kohli has told the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) that he wants to retire from Test cricket. But the board's top officials have requested him to reconsider his decision, the Indian Express reported.

A BCCI source told this Indian media outlet, "He has taken the decision and has told the board that he will step down from Tests. The BCCI has requested him to reconsider his decision. Because, the England tour is coming up. He has not yet expressed his opinion on it."

Rohit Sharma retired from Tests last Wednesday. Then the news of Kohli's decision to step down from Tests came to light. India will tour England next month to play a five-match Test series. The first Test will begin in Leeds on June 20. The BCCI selectors will meet in a few days to select the team for the England tour, the Indian Express reported.

The media outlet also reported that Kohli has been thinking about his future in Tests since the Border-Gavaskar Trophy held in Australia in November-January. In that series, Kohli scored 190 runs in 9 innings at an average of 23.75 in five Tests. He scored one century. Kohli was criticized for his lack of runs with the bat in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy itself. Some even questioned his future in Tests.

If Kohli does not change his decision, the batting of the Indian Test team will be under a little pressure. In the absence of two experienced batsmen like Rohit and Kohli, it is believed that Lokesh Rahul, Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, and Rishabh Pant will be under additional pressure. Together, the two led the Indian Test team for 11 years. Kohli became India's Test captain in 2014. After he stepped down, Rohit became the Test captain in 2022.

Kohli has scored 9230 runs in 123 Tests for India at an average of 46.85. Kohli is fourth in the list of highest runs for India in Tests after Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and Sunil Gavaskar. Kohli's batting average in Tests has declined in the last five years. In these five years, Kohli has scored 1990 runs in 65 innings in 37 Tests at an average of 32.09. Three centuries.

However, in addition to suffering from a run-dry spell, Kohli's batting technique has also been criticized. Out of the eight times he was dismissed in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, seven times he was caught behind the stumps while playing the ball outside the off-stump. Kohli himself later expressed disappointment over the failure of that tour. In March, he said at an event hosted by his IPL franchise Royal Challengers Bangalore, "I may not be able to play another tour of Australia after four years." Kohli retired from the tournament after leading India to the T20 World Cup in June last year. Kohli was in great form in the postponed IPL. He scored 505 runs in 11 matches at a strike rate of 143.46.