Virat Kohli’s retirement is mentioned as he was given strict orders to ‘stop senseless antics on the field’
Former Australian cricketer Ian Chappell has criticized Virat Kohli for his gestures on the field, including the incident with Sam Konstas during the MCG Test in BGT 2024-25. Ian Chappell has urged Virat Kohli to stop his “senseless antics” and focus on improving his consistency ahead of India’s tour of England later this year.
Virat Kohli came under heavy criticism after his poor performances during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series, where India suffered a 1-3 defeat. Defeat in the fifth Test in Sydney also dashed India’s hopes of reaching the final of the ICC Test World Cup for the third time, with Australia securing a place.
Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma came under heavy criticism after the BGT disaster
The former Indian captain made shoulder contact with Australian rookie Sam Konstas in the Melbourne Test. Kohli scored an unbeaten 100 in Perth and the rest of his innings totaled just 90 runs without a half-century. However, the right-hander could get more opportunities, given his experience.
Rohit Sharma had a poor performance in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, scoring just 31 runs in five innings at an average of 6.20. He sat out the fifth Test and vice-captain Jasprit Bumrah came in as captain. Rohit reacted to speculations about his retirement, saying that he won’t be retiring anytime soon.
Virat Kohli’s UK experience would be invaluable – Ian Chappell
India are all set to begin a new phase in the Test World Cup cycle with a five-match tour of England in July. Ian Chappell pointed out in his ESPN Cricinfo column that the retirement of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma would create a significant void for India’s upcoming tough Test tour of England.
“Kohli’s experience in the UK would be invaluable, and of the two troubled players he is the most likely to be revived,” Chappell wrote in his ESPNcricinfo column.
“However, his consistency needs to improve along with giving valuable advice to the younger players. He also needs to stop his senseless antics like putting Sam Konstas in the MCG Test. If Kohli decides to retire from Test cricket, the loss of both and Rohit would leave a huge void in the squad for tough tour,” he added.
India are extremely reluctant to part with the stars – Ian Chappell
Ian Chappell has expressed uncertainty about Rohit Sharma’s future in Test cricket, following his poor performance in the Australia series. Chappell said Rohit is a question mark for the upcoming five-match series, citing his technical issues.
“For India, the two big question marks are the leading batsmen and the selectors have to make tough decisions about Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli.”
“The soon-to-be 38-year-old Rohit, who faces a busy five-Test series against England in a few months’ time, is a questionable quantity. Although India are reluctant to part with stars, Rohit has struggled technically of late and his absence would create uncertainty about the starting position and the captaincy,” Chappell added.
Also read: Sarfaraz Khan was ruled out of cricket after injuring himself during BGT
