Earlier this week, Virat Kohli announced his retirement from Test cricket, ending a stellar career which saw him score over 9000 runs and smash 30 centuries.
The announcement, which came days after Rohit Sharma also called time on his career in the longest format, meant that Indian cricket is now in a state of transition, losing two of its biggest generational stars within weeks. Interestingly, both Kohli and Rohit were named in the A+ grade of BCCI’s annual central contracts last month; with their retirements, both will now be available for only one format, i.e. the ODIs.
According to BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia, however, both will continue to remain in the same grade for 2024/25. Board secretary Saikia confirmed the development on Wednesday, putting to rest speculation over their contract status after the retirements.
“Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma’s grade A (+) contract will continue despite their retirement from the T20Is and Tests. They are still part of the Indian cricket team, and they will get all the facilities of Grade A (+),” Saikia told ANI.
Earlier in April, the BCCI had released its annual player retainership list for the 2024/25 cycle, which included Kohli, Rohit, Jasprit Bumrah, and Ravindra Jadeja in the Grade A bracket.
Kohli’s decision to call time on his Test career came a month before India’s tour of England, which begins the ICC World Test Championship 2025-27 cycle. The 36-year-old walked away after 123 Tests, amassing 9,230 runs at an average of 46.85, including 30 centuries and a career-best 254*.
He finished as India’s fourth-highest run-getter in the format, behind Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, and Sunil Gavaskar.
Rohit’s retirement
Just days before, Rohit Sharma, the Indian Test captain at the time, retired from the format following a series of poor performances in the format. The Indian captain bid farewell to Tests after a career spanning 67 matches, 4,301 runs, and 12 hundreds.
His average of 40.57 and a highest score of 212 against South Africa in 2019 marked a memorable red-ball journey, ending as India’s 16th-highest run-scorer in the format.
The duo had also stepped away from T20Is after leading India to the T20 World Cup title in 2024. Kohli ended as the highest run-scorer in T20 World Cup history with 1,292 runs, and the second-highest overall in T20Is with 4,188 runs. Rohit still leads the all-time T20I run charts with 4,231 runs and five centuries, a record in the format.