BCCI Faces Backlash Over Kohli and Rohit’s Test Exits; Urged to Clarify Handling
Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli announced their Test retirement in a space of just five days, leaving India’s batting with a big hole before the England tour.
Former India cricketer Anil Kumble called out the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), asking them for the poor handling of the Test retirements of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. The two senior batters drew curtains on their career in the longest format in a space of five days, with the decision coming less than a fortnight before the scheduled selection meeting to pick the squad for the upcoming Test tour of England.
Speaking to ESPNCricinfo, Kumble reckoned both Rohit and Kohli deserved a proper farewell from Test cricket and hence asked the concerned department in BCCI to address why both the fans and the two stalwarts of Indian cricket were denied the moment.
“Right now, Rohit Sharma, a few days ago and then Virat Kohli. I think all three of them deserved a proper send-off on the field. I strongly believe people who matter need to address that. I know it is a social media age, yes, the fans want to be there, there would have been plenty of fans and have a roaring send-off,” he said.
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Kumble also expressed concerns over the significant vacuum left in the Indian Test team over the retirements of Kohli and Rohit, especially with the crucial tour of England coming up, a country where India have found it difficult to claim a series in the last decade.
“Rohit has retired, he had been captain for a while and Virat is probably the most accomplished captain for India and you would have wanted one of the guys to be around. England is going to be tough, it is a five-Test… I think it must have come as a surprise to the selectors as well. I’m sure the selectors would have looked to pursue him,” he added.
In the absence of the two, India will not only have a new captain, reportedly set to be Shubman Gill, but also feature a new-look batting line-up. The tour, comprising five Tests, which will mark the beginning of the 2025/27 World Test Championship cycle, will begin on June 20.
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