[vijaykr]

I too was really hoping that he would to England and play like the champion batsman he was in his heyday and still does every once in a while these days. It would have been a fitting farewell for him to retire at the end of that series.

I don't believe not getting the captain role for the England series is a reason for him retire now. He's smarter than that for sure and has been India captain long enough to know the challenges it brings as well.

He will always be King Kohli for me and watching him bat has been one of the pleasures of turning the TV on whenever India plays. He has moved Indian cricket forward in a line of great captains who have played for us.

[PPS]

Smart call by Virat Kohli to retire & not mindlessly continue playing chasing the 10,000 runs mark! Retiring with an overall average below 47 will definitely hurt considering he had a dream run for 5-6yrs till 2019. Will remember him more for his Test Captaincy as his struggles with the bat in the last half a decade really dented his legacy.

Btw, just struck me that Rahane & Pujara have yet not retired!

Originally Posted by VWAllstar

Rishabh Pant should not even be a surety in the Test playing XI.

Pant has been India's best Test batter for a while. Just because he struggled in 1 tour doesn't make him a non-starter in the XI.

He is also going through a poor form and his leadership & tactical skills aren't that good either.

Let us not mix formats. Whatever his struggles, are in the IPL!

Originally Posted by AtheK

I hope this gives enough fuel and drive to both Kohli and Sharma to try for WC 2027.

I hope Selectors & Gambhir phase out both Rohit & Virat in the next 6-7months & give them a Grand Farewell which they both deserve. There are only a handful of ODIs being played. You wouldn't want to be in a position where they suddenly lose form or retire a few months before that WC 2yrs down the line.

[Revvatron]

This is a bigger blow to ECB/BCCI than the team itself. With Rohith and Kohli out of the series the viewership will tank. Both of them bring viewership from all over the cricketing worlds. Maybe that's why BCCI was so desparate to convince kohli to continue.

[AtheK]

Originally Posted by Revvatron

This is a bigger blow to ECB/BCCI than the team itself. With Rohith and Kohli out of the series the viewership will tank. Both of them bring viewership from all over the cricketing worlds. Maybe that's why BCCI was so desparate to convince kohli to continue.

Nothing would happen, viewership will remain same if not better.

[Eddy]

Originally Posted by AtheK

Nothing would happen, viewership will remain same if not better.

I doubt nothing will happen. I think the viewership will be impacted. Unless the team does brilliantly.

Also, Virat brought sponsors to the table unlike anyone else in the team. So the ECB is definitely losing out on some $.

[AtheK]

Originally Posted by Eddy

I doubt. I think the viewership will be impacted. Unless the team does brilliantly.

Also, Virat brought sponsors to the table unlike anyone else in the team. So the ECB is definitely losing out on some $.

I still doubt it, time will tell, but the two of them were the reason we were struggling crazy on Aus tour. Literally the joke was 9 vs 11. That said swing bowling would have been achilles heel for both of them again.

I am happy with this even if viewership takes a hit, again doubtful, we need to start building the team for future, our T20I team looks so good now. Test team will come around as well.

[drive_in_peace]

Even when Sachin retired, people predicted that the viewership will be impacted. That never happened. As they say, the game is bigger than any individual player. Having said that, kohli's legacy is beyond what the numbers suggest. It was an abrupt shift from the 'gentlemanly' way in which Sachin-Dravid-Lakshman played to the aggressive in-your-face kind of cricket that kohli played. To be honest, I liked kohli's approach better.

[AtheK]

Originally Posted by drive_in_peace

Even when Sachin retired, people predicted that the viewership will be impacted. That never happened. As they say, the game is bigger than any individual player.

Exactly, I hope this culture of making an individual bigger then the game end with these two now. Gambhir era can truly begin now, anyway at this point none of the player have this kind of aura, and hope it stays in check going forward as well.

[motorworks]

Originally Posted by volkman10

Shubman Gill named India test captain for England series; Rishabh Pant to be vice-captain.

Link:

I don’t think this is official. Just reports floating around. If I’m not wrong, the team for the England series is due to be announced only on the 24th may or something like that.

On Virat’s retirement from Tests, i think we should respect his call. He is a legend in his own right, has performed at the top level consistently across all 3 formats.

Yes, there has been a recent dip in his form and many top players including people like Sachin went thru this dip in form towards the end of their career. I think thats inevitable.

I wish he continued playing tests though. He has the technique, just needed to work on some of his recent weaknesses. But i guess that he’s probably thought to himself that he’s done enough and he isnt going to improve on his overseas form. And i think another aspect we are all missing is that the way Virat played, his fitness levels, intensity on the field etc must have taken a big toll on his body and mind. So the call to retire is fair, and will surely create a huge vacuum in the test team, irrespective of his recent test form.

Having said that, people move on and Indian cricket too has to move on. In fact i think we should use this opportunity to create a proper test team. Players could be encouraged to play in australia, south africa and england on Team A tours, county matches etc and BCCI should compensate these players so that they remain focused on tests even if they dont get IPL contracts. BCCI has the money, right? Have the attitude that it should be a team of best test players and not constantly create cross overs from IPL and ODI squads.

Secondly, given that both Rohit and Kohli have retired from Tests and T20s, I think BCCI should be prepared to leave them out from ODIs too. I mean, ODI is an easier format to adapt for many T20 and IPL players, and on current declining and inconsistent form of Rohit and Virat, we need to rather bet on younger players.

[PPS]

Originally Posted by Revvatron

This is a bigger blow to ECB/BCCI than the team itself.

Originally Posted by Eddy

I doubt nothing will happen. I think the viewership will be impacted. Unless the team does brilliantly.

More than anything else this is a big blow to the Test Cricket format! As it is only a limited number of enthusiasts watch Tests so I highly doubt viewership will be affected.