The cricket world was stunned when Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma stepped away from Test cricket within just five days. Rohit broke the news first with a short Instagram story, followed closely by Kohli’s formal announcement after writing to the BCCI. For fans, the double retirement felt abrupt and out of place.
Soon after, questions started swirling. Were these exits truly the players’ decisions? Kohli’s quick return to Ranji Trophy action for Delhi, with plans to score big in England, suggested otherwise. Rohit too had openly spoken to Michael Clarke during the IPL break about his excitement for the upcoming Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy.
Ghavri’s Direct Accusation
Former India pacer Karsan Ghavri believes neither wanted to leave but were instead pushed out by internal politics in the BCCI and the Ajit Agarkar-led selection panel.
“He [Kohli] should have definitely continued playing for India easily, probably for another couple of years. But something really forced him to retire. And unfortunately, when he retired, he was not even given a farewell by the BCCI. Such players, such a great player who has done such great service to BCCI, India cricket and Indian fans, should be given a grand and fabulous farewell,” Ghavri said on the Vickey Lalwani Show.
Kohli and Rohit’s Test Journeys
Kohli ended as India’s fourth-highest Test run-scorer, with fewer than 10,000 runs. His captaincy record included 40 Test victories and a historic series win in Australia in 2018-19. Rohit found renewed success after being promoted to opener in 2019, becoming a consistent performer at the top.
Ghavri is convinced their departures were not voluntary.
“It’s due to internal politics within the BCCI, which is hard to understand. And I think this is the reason he retired prematurely. Even Rohit Sharma retired prematurely. They were asked to go out. It’s not like they wanted to leave. They wanted to continue. But the selectors and BCCI had different ideas. It was a matter of some kind of petty politics,” Ghavri added.
The claims have left fans demanding answers on whether Indian cricket lost two Test greats earlier than it should have.
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