In a massive development ahead of the Test tour of England, Virat Kohli has reportedly confirmed to the BCCI of his willingness to retire from red-ball international cricket. With Rohit Sharma also retiring from the format, India could have a significantly inexperienced batting line-up as they target their first series win on English soil since 2007.
The 36-year-old had started the tour of Australia with a hundred in the second innings of the opening Test in Perth as India won that Test convincingly. However, the veteran's returns significantly dipped in the next four Tests and his pattern of dismissals became glaring, fiddling with balls consistently outside off-stump. Eventually, Kohli finished the series with 190 runs.
According to the sources informed to The Indian Express, it said:
"He has made up his mind and has informed the board that he is moving on from Test cricket. The BCCI has urged him to rethink as the crucial England tour is coming up. He is yet to revert on the request."
While the BCCI's top officials have asked him to reconsider his decision, the former Indian captain is yet to revert on the same.
Virat Kohli's Test record in England
Having played his first Test in England in 2014, Kohli went on to play 17 of them on English soil, accumulating 1096 runs at 33.21 with two hundreds alongside a best of 149. He was also the captain when India toured England in 2018. Although the visitors had lost the series by 4-1, the Delhi-born cricketer emerged as the highest run-getter with 593 runs.
The tour of England this year begins on June 20 at the Headingley in Leeds.
