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Updated 14 May 2025 at 16:28 IST

Virat Kohli And Rohit Sharma's Test Retirements Likely To Enable The BCCI To Experiment With An Idea That Was Never Considered Before

India will travel to England for a five-match Test series that will be played after the culmination of the Indian Premier League. The forst IND vs ENG Test match will be played on June 20, 2025

Reported by: Jishu Bhattacharya
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Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma
Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma | Image: AP

Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma shocked the entire cricketing fraternity by announcing their Test retirements just a few weeks before India travels to England for a five-match Test series. Two stalwarts of Indian cricket who have redefined the game for the new generation walking away at such a crucial time raises questions and also about the direction in which the national cricket team is heading. Gautam Gambhir will now have to take many important calls that will decide India's future in World Test Championship 2027.

BCCI Likely To Have Different Teams For Different Formats

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), Head Coach Gautam Gambhir, and Chief Selector Ajit Agarkar are trying to take a road that has never been explored in the history of Indian cricket.

Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, who have retired from the Test format and the T20I format, will continue to play ODI cricket. The Indian T20I team looks like a settled unit under the captaincy of Suryakumar Yadav. Just like the Test team, the T20I team is a good mix of youth and experience. As far as the ODI team is concerned, Rohit will continue to lead India, maybe till the 2027 ODI World Cup. Now, all eyes will be on India's Test setup and the team that they choose to send to England.

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Here's How India's Playing XI Across All Formats Will Look Like

  • India's ODI XI: Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant, Hardik Pandya, Washington Sundar, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, and Jasprit Bumrah.
  • India's T20I XI: Sanju Samson (wk), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav (c), Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Rinku Singh, Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Harshit Rana, and Jasprit Bumrah
  • India's Test XI: KL Rahul, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill (c), Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant, Washington Sundar, Ravindra Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, and Arshdeep Singh

ALSO READ | Did External Forces Force Virat Kohli To Retire As Reports Suggest Star Batter Decided To Call It A Day Due To 'Lack Of Freedom'

Shubman Gill Likely To Be India's Next Test Captain

England is a tough place to play cricket, and there are no second thoughts about it. The overcast conditions, the Dukes darting all around; the young Indian batters will face a lot of problems.

There are talks that Shubman Gill might be announced as the next Test skipper, but there isn't any official confirmation as of now.

Published 14 May 2025 at 16:28 IST