Follow UsBoard of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) vice-president Rajeev Shukla has clarified that it was Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli’s personal decision to retire from Test cricket ahead of the ongoing tour of England. However, the two senior batters will continue to play One-Day Internationals (ODIs) for India.
Rohit and Kohli had earlier stepped away from T20Is after India’s triumph in the 2024 T20 World Cup. Both players had been going through a rough patch in red-ball cricket, and reports had started to suggest that the Indian team management was considering moving on from them. That’s when the two decided to step away from the longest format as well.
"I want to make it very clear once and for all. Hum sabko bhi Rohit aur Virat ki kami hoti hai (We also miss Rohit and Virat). Lekin Rohit aur Virat ne khud ye faisla liya hai (But Rohit and Virat have taken this decision on their own),” said Shukla in London, as reported by TOI.
"BCCI ki ye policy hai ki hum kabhi kisi player ko nahi kehte ki kab aur kis format se retirement lena chahiye (BCCI has a very strict policy that we don't tell any player when or from which format they should retire). Ye player ke upar hota hai, in dono ka khud ka faisla tha (It is up to the players, and the duo made their own decision to quit Test cricket).
"Humey unki kami hamesha khalegi, wo mahaan ballebaaz hai, aur humare liye achhi baat hai ki one-day ke liye wo sab uplabdh hai (We will always miss them; they are great batters, and it's a good thing for us that they are available for one-day cricket).”
Both Kohli and Rohit are aiming to play in the 2027 ODI World Cup. They were expected to return during the tour of Bangladesh in August, but that series has now been postponed to next year. As things stand, India’s next ODI assignment will be in Australia in October.