The Board of Control for Cricket in India came under fire following the abrupt Test retirements of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma in May.
Their decision, announced just a fortnight before the selection meeting for the England series, stunned world cricket. Speculation had been rife since India’s forgettable tour of Australia, but few expected the end to come off the field. Many were disappointed that the stalwarts did not bid farewell to the format in front of fans, and criticism quickly mounted on the BCCI.
It wasn’t just the fans. Teammate Ravi Bishnoi admitted he was shocked by both the timing and the manner in which Kohli and Rohit exited. The duo had earlier retired from T20Is in June last year, moments after India’s T20 World Cup triumph in Barbados, when they signed off with on-field announcements following the win against South Africa.
“It is actually shocking, because you always want to see them retire from the field. For such big legends, you want them to leave while still being on the field, that looks much better. And what both of them have done for India, in my view, there is no one even close,” Bishnoi said on Game Changers podcast.
The young leg-spinner even sent out a clear message to the BCCI, urging them to arrange a proper farewell game whenever the two stalwarts decide to retire from ODIs.
“You want them to get a good farewell, but maybe they will get that in ODIs as well whenever they leave, whenever they want to. Because no one can tell you when you will retire. But it was shocking when both of them retired, because suddenly you feel like two spots have become empty, who will come and fulfill that?” he added.
Kohli and Rohit are expected to return to international cricket in the ODI tour of Australia in October.
Speculations are rife that the tour will likely be their final appearance in international cricket, although none have addressed the rumours yet. However, both have already begun preparing for the tour. Kohli was spotted practising in London, while Rohit trained with former India batting coach Abhishek Nayar.
The ODI captain even cleared the mandatory fitness test at the BCCI’s Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru on Sunday, where he will reportedly continue his training for the next five days. There has been no such update on Kohli.