Report | Virat Kohli informs BCCI of Test retirement ahead of England tour but is asked to reconsider

The longstanding owner of the number four spot in the Indian Test team, Virat Kohli is set to move on from the red-ball arena as per a report from The Indian Express. The decision comes ahead of a five-match Test series in England beginning June 20 which would mark the start of a new World Test Championship cycle, after India failed to qualify for the title clash in the incumbent edition.

“He has made up his mind and has informed the board that he is moving on from Test cricket. The BCCI has urged him to rethink as the crucial England tour is coming up. He is yet to revert on the request,” The Indian Express quoted an anonymous BCCI source.

Kohli's last outing in the Test arena was the Border Gavaskar Trophy Down Under where he began with a century in the first Test in Perth but could only accumulate 85 runs in seven innings thereafter, including six dismissals while playing at balls outside the off-stump. The tour bookended a huge fall from grace for the 36-year-old over the past half a decade, where his career average has dropped from 54.97 at the end of 2019 to present-day 46.85. 

The fact that Kohli has a middling Test record in England msut have also played a part in the decision, his average reading 33.21 after 17 matches in the island nation. The batter's only two centuries there came in 2018 when he struck a stunning 593 matches in five matches, but has never managed to average over 30 on a tour before or since with his latest endeavour in 2021-22 begetting him just 249 runs.

However, despite the poor run of form, the BCCI has asked the modern great to delay hanging up his hat given the recent retirement of Rohit Sharma. The team is set to be placed under new leadership with 25-year-old Shubman Gill leading the race, and the presence of India's most successful Test captain on the field would go a long way in aiding the transition process. Besides, with fellow veterans Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane also not in the selection plans anymore, the absence of Ro-Ko would inevitably lead to an inexperienced middle-order featuring the likes of Dhruv Jurel, Sarfaraz Khan, and Karun Nair.

Rohit and Kohli had previously retired together from T20Is too after India lifted the 2024 World Cup title in the Caribbean, and it remains to be seen whether Kohli would pay heed to the BCCI's request.