With surprising reports of Virat Kohli wanting to retire from Test cricket emerging ahead of the tour of England next month, yet another report says the 36-year-old had made up his mind during the series in Australia itself. A report of the Times of India claimed that the veteran had told teammates multiple times 'he was done'.
The veteran batter had started the tour of Australia with a hundred in the second innings of the opening Test in Perth as India won that match convincingly. However, the right-hander's returns significantly dipped in the next four Tests and his pattern of dismissals became glaring, fiddling with balls consistently outside off-stump. Eventually, Kohli finished the series with 190 runs. His low returns were one of the significant reasons India relinquished the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
According to the sources informed to The Indian Express, it said:
"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."
While the BCCI's top officials have asked him to reconsider his decision, the former Indian captain is yet to revert on the same. With Rohit Sharma also officially retiring from the format, Kohli's absence could leave the Indian batting line-up massively vulnerable ahead of an important series.
Virat Kohli's Test record in England
Having played his first Test in England in 2014, Kohli went on to play 17 of them on English soil, accumulating 1096 runs at 33.21 with two hundreds alongside a best of 149. He was also the captain when India toured England in 2018. Although the visitors had lost the series by 4-1, the Delhi-born cricketer emerged as the highest run-getter with 593 runs.
The tour of England this year begins on June 20 at the Headingley in Leeds.
