Virat Kohli is reportedly not thinking about retiring from cricket despite his struggles in the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy and is instead aiming to play the 2027 ODI World Cup in Africa. A PTI report described him to be ‘in no mood’ to hang his boots just yet.
Kohli, 36, had one of his worst years in international cricket in 2024. In Tests, he just managed one century — in the second innings of the first BGT Test in Perth — while facing troubles to both spin in Indian conditions and pace abroad.
His movements looked to have slowed down further after Perth in BGT, which ended with 190 runs in nine innings at an average of 23.75. All of his eight dismissals came with his bat hanging outside the off-stump, against different bowlers and on varied lengths of deliveries.
It prompted big questions about the former captain’s importance in the side, alongside Rohit Sharma, who endured an even worse series, managing just 31 runs in five essays. India’s next Test assignment is in five months, a tour of England for the Anthony de Mello Trophy.
“Would be very hard for selectors to pick either Rohit Sharma or Virat Kohli on the basis of IPL performance or form. There has to be some red-ball cricket for them in the lead-up to the England tour," a former selector told PTI.
Kohli and Rohit haven’t played domestic red-ball cricket for their states in years. Kohli last played in the Ranji Trophy in 2012 while Rohit in 2015.
The 2025 season of the Ranji Trophy ends in February but it’ll clash with England’s white-ball tour of India. Earlier reports had said that Kohli, Rohit and Bumrah might skip that rubber to manage their workload.
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If they skip both the bilateral and the Ranji Trophy, the only available red-ball action for Kohli and Rohit would be possible India ‘A’ games and warm-up matches in England before the Tests, but even those will come after a quick turnaround from IPL 2025.
Although Kohli hasn’t spoken to the media about his career for a while, Rohit already declared on Saturday that he wants to play further. Head coach Gautam Gambhir, speaking on Sunday, also left it on the duo to do what they thought was in the best interest of Indian cricket.
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