ON a rainy Tuesday evening on December 18, the press conference room at The Gabba was filled with an air of suspense. India had held on to a draw in a rain-affected third Test. In the midst of all this, murmurs had spread that a senior India player was about to quit.
Soon after, R Ashwin made a statement announcing his retirement from internationals. In that same press conference, Rohit Sharma suggested that there would no other retirements for the time being. However, fewer than five months later, Sharma himself announced his retirement from Tests on May 7. On Friday night, it emerged that Virat Kohli was also planning to retire from Tests and had conveyed his decision to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). The Board, it was reported, have asked him to reconsider his decision.
Considering Kohli had refuted any sign of retirement talk only two months ago at a chat in a Royal Challengers Bengaluru event, what changed? Only on March 15, the former India captain had said: "Me playing is not for achievement," he had said. "It's for the joy, enjoyment and love for the game. As long as that is intact, I will continue to play. I have to be honest about that with myself... at this point of time in my life, I feel pretty happy. I still love playing the game."
Now, it has to be made clear that neither the BCCI nor Kohli have made any official statement regarding the matter. That being said, if Kohli goes on to call it a day as a Test cricketer, it will lead to a massive vacuum in multiple ways — the batting line-up as well as the leadership.
Kohli was at the front and centre of India’s domination in the longest format from the time he took over as Test captain a decade ago. Even in Australia, there were rumours about how Kohli had expressed his interest to take over, at least on an interim basis, after Rohit had stood down for the final Test in Australia.
During the Sydney Test, he was visibly involved in the proceedings on the field and was even marshalling the team when Jasprit Bumrah had walked off due to a back injury. Along with Rohit, who had a poor series, Kohli too came under the scanner as his performance fell off the cliff after the century in the first Test. In the next four games, Kohli managed only 85 runs at 12.14 while getting out in a similar pattern - fishing outside the off-stump and edging the ball to the slip cordon.
As the visitors lost the series 1-3, many wondered if India had seen the last of Rohit and Kohli as Test cricketers. While the former made it official, reports of Kohli wanting to retire comes at a crucial juncture as India are getting ready to travel to England for five Tests. If the man who made the No. 4 spot his own sticks with the decision, then India's batting transition will be here and now. Just like what it faced in 2011 when, after a poor Australia tour, both VVS Laxman and Rahul Dravid retired without a farewell match.
Jatin Paranjape, founder of KheloMore, a sportstech platform, and a former national selector, said that transition is a never ending process. “When I was a selector, we saw a transition from MS Dhoni as captain to Virat as captain," he told this daily.
"This transition is a never-ending process. But I think we have a problem of plenty when it comes to talented cricketers. It might take a little bit of time for the newer players to come in and get more experience. For example, I think very highly of B Sai Sudharshan. He seems to be like a three-format player. He probably will get picked sooner rather than later. He will go through that entire process of gaining experience. In the short term, you might see a little bit of experience deficit, which might result in a couple of fewer victories. But overall, I think Indian cricket is in a very, very healthy state,” Paranjape, a current member of the powerful three-member Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC), added.
One of the things the BCCI is expected to do is ask some of the players of the main squad to play some 'A' games in England before the Test series begins in earnest. "I think the India A platform, which started during my tenure as a selector, is a great example of capital allocation and forward thinking by the BCCI," he said. "Because that's a great platform where you get used to playing with all the big stars, you get used to playing for the great opposition, especially in red-ball cricket."
While the former India cricketer feels that Gill could get the nod as Test captain, he said that Rishabh Pant could also be in contention for a leadership role, especially if Kohli decides to call it a day. "I think Gill or Rishabh Pant will be the main contenders for the Test captaincy, if you ask me. But I have a feeling it will go to Gill. They don't want to give it to Bumrah because his body is a bit fragile at the minute. And Bumrah will be a great deputy to a guy like Gill as well. So especially with the news going around that Virat also might not play, I think Bumrah's role and Rishabh Pant's role in this team also become very important. Let's not forget that Rishabh has been playing for a few years now. He's also experienced. I think they will go for Gill, but at the same time I will not be surprised if they go for Rishabh Pant also," Paranjape said.
For now, there is a lot of speculation in the air with no official word on Kohli's future or the next Test captain. Things will get clearer in the days and weeks to come as the selectors and BCCI name the squad for India A and the India tour of England. One thing, however, is clear. This England series will mark the beginning of a new era in Indian cricket.
