Kohli's Retirement Timing Questioned Amidst England's Batting Paradise

Could Virat Kohli's Test retirement have been premature, considering the favorable batting conditions in the ongoing England tour? His childhood coach, Rajkumar Sharma, shared insights on the matter in a recent interview.

Virat Kohli retired just before the England Test series. (AP Photo)

Sharma's comments come in the wake of discussions surrounding Kohli's decision to retire from Test cricket in May 2025, ending a celebrated 14-year career that began against the West Indies in 2011. He amassed 9230 runs in 123 Tests, averaging 46.85, including 30 centuries and 31 half-centuries.

Notably, Kohli's form had dipped since 2020, with 2028 runs in 39 matches (69 innings) at an average of 30.72. Since 2024, he scored 440 runs from 11 matches (21 innings) at an average of 23.15 with one century and one fifty.

However, the current England tour features pitches heavily favoring batsmen, leading to speculation about whether Kohli should have postponed his retirement to capitalize on these conditions and potentially rediscover his form.

Sharma addressed this, stating: "I mean, wickets have nothing to do with his retirement. That was his personal decision... he's a superb player, and it was his personal decision." He referenced Kohli's past successes in England, suggesting the pitches were not a deterrent.

He also lauded Shubman Gill, Kohli’s successor, for his outstanding performances. “He's just batting superbly. He's in the best form of his life, and he's leading from the front. That is the best part. He's taking the responsibility and he's playing superbly,” he added.

Gill has indeed been exceptional, earning the Player of the Match award in India's commanding 336-run victory in the second Test. He set a record of 430 runs aggregate in a Test match, with individual scores of 269 and 161 respectively.

Sharma also reflected on Rishabh Pant's consistent aggressive batting style, noting it has been a hallmark of his game since his U19 days. “He has been playing like that since the beginning... He started his under-19 career under me, and since then, I've been watching him. He's been the same player,” Sharma concluded.

Pant recently made history by becoming only the second wicketkeeper to score a century in each innings of a Test match. He further contributed a crucial 65 in the second innings of the second Test.