"I expected him to play England Tests...": Vengasarkar on Virat Kohli's long format retirement

Navi Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], May 15 (ANI): Former Indian cricketer and ex-chairman of selectors Dilip Vengsarkar said that he expected star India batter Virat Kohli to continue playing Tests till the England tour, but added that the call to retire from the format is his and should be respected.

Before the England tour of five Tests kick-starting India's ICC World Test Championship campaign, the 36-year-old Virat sent shockwaves in world cricket after announcing his decision to pull down the curtains on his 14-year, 123-match-long Test career.

Speaking to ANI, Vengasarkar, who scored 6,868 runs in 116 Tests for India with 17 centuries, said, "I expected him to play in the England series and take retirement after that. The series in England is going to be tough. His sudden retirement will affect the performance of the team."

"He is such a great player, an experienced player. However, it is his personal call. He has played for 16-18 years, and it should be respected," he added.

In his Test career, the 36-year-old made 123 appearances in white clothing, scoring 9,230 runs at an average of 46.85, with 30 centuries and 31 fifties in 210 innings and the best score of 254*. He is India's fourth-highest run-getter in the format, behind Sachin Tendulkar (15,921 runs), Rahul Dravid (13,265 runs), and Sunil Gavaskar (10,122 runs).

He made his Test debut in June 2011 against the West Indies. While his first Test tour was a massive disappointment with just 76 runs in five innings, a young Virat made a name for himself with some serious, counter-attacking knocks in the coming days. His rise as a Test player started with his maiden ton against Australia at Adelaide in 2012, when he made 116 in 213 balls. In a tour where no other could touch 300 runs for India and giants like Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman, and Virender Sehwag looked a shadow of their dominant selves, Virat top-scored for India with 300 runs in four Tests, including a century and fifty.

Between 2011 to 2015, he made 2,994 runs in 41 Tests at an average of 44.03, with 11 centuries and 12 fifties in 72 innings.

Between 2016 to 2019, Virat had one of the strongest batting primes ever for a Test cricketer, piling up 4,208 runs in 43 Tests at an average of 66.79, with 16 centuries and 10 fifties in 69 innings and the best score of 254*. This also included seven double centuries, most by a captain in Test cricket history.

However, the 2020s have not been great for the superstar batter, having made just 2,028 runs in 39 Tests at an underwhelming average of 30.72, with just three centuries and nine fifties to show in 69 innings. His numbers received a boost from a fine 2023, where he made 671 runs in eight Tests at an average of 55.91, with two centuries and two fifties in 12 innings.

During this whole time frame, Virat battled some notable weaknesses in the format, notably against deliveries outside the off-stump line and against spinners. He ended last year with just 382 runs in 10 Tests at a shocking average of 22.47, with just one century and fifty in 19 innings.

His last Test outing was the Border-Gavaskar Trophy tour to Australia from November-January, where he made just 190 runs in nine innings at an average of 23.75, with his century at Perth being a highlight.That century was his first since July 2023, when he hit a ton against the West Indies at Port of Spain in 2023. Also, his last century at home came against Australia in early 2023 during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy at Ahmedabad. (ANI)

(The story has come from a syndicated feed and has not been edited by the Tribune Staff.)