All posts tagged: kohli retires

Kumar Dharmasena pays tribute to ‘greatest ever’ Kohli

Kumar Dharmasena pays tribute to ‘greatest ever’ Kohli

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Sri Lanka umpire Kumar Dharmasena has made a touching tribute to India great Virat Kohli after the latter announced his retirement from Test cricket. Dharmasena can be seen standing beside a signed Test jersey of Kohli which he got as a gift from the former India captain. “I asked him for it once, and he gave it to me, signed by him as well,” Dharmasena says. Here is what Dharmasena said in his caption to the post: “From fierce battles on the field to respectful nods at the crease – it was always a pleasure to officiate your games, Virat. Your passion for Test cricket was unmatched. Wishing you the very best as you step away from the longest format. Your autographed Test jersey remains one of the most special mementos in my collection – a reminder of a true legend of the game.” “It is a sad day for cricket, especially Test cricket,” Dharmasena further says in the video. “I was fortunate to umpire a few of his Test matches. He is one of …

‘Virat will walk away’: Ravi Shastri predicts Virat Kohli won’t take coaching or commentary gigs after full retirement | Cricket News

‘Virat will walk away’: Ravi Shastri predicts Virat Kohli won’t take coaching or commentary gigs after full retirement | Cricket News

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Last week, when Virat Kohli retired from Test cricket, it meant that the 36-year-old will only play in the ODI format having retired from the T20I format last year post India’s T20 World Cup win. While it is yet to be seen whether Kohli could play in the 2027 World Cup to be held in South Africa, former Indian coach Ravi Shastri believes once Kohli is done playing cricket, he will walk away from the game and not take any coaching roles or commentary roles. “He is still around to serve Indian cricket in ODIs, but I also know that Virat will walk away from the game once he is done playing cricket. He is not the kind who would like to coach or take on the role of a broadcaster. I will miss him when India plays its first Test in England. He was a champion, and that is what I would like to remember — never conceding an inch,” Shastri wrote in his column for Sportstar. Kohli retired having played 123 Tests amassing …

Virat Kohli ‘one of the greatest Test batters ever’ but India have talent to fill his shoes, says James Anderson | Cricket News

Virat Kohli ‘one of the greatest Test batters ever’ but India have talent to fill his shoes, says James Anderson | Cricket News

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England fast bowling great James Anderson has hailed Virat Kohli, with whom he shared a storied rivalry, as one of the greatest batters to ever play Test cricket. The 42-year-old however feels that India have the pool of talent that can fill up the gap left by even someone of Kohli’s stature. Kohli retired from Test cricket on Monday, bringing the curtains down on a glorious career in which he finished as India’s fourth highest run scorer of all time in the format. His decision came just days after longtime teammate and captain Rohit Sharma also retired from the format. “Great players. There will be a new captain because Sharma has retired. Kohli, one of the greatest Test batters that’s ever been. There’s big shoes to fill there but they’ve got a huge amount of talent in their squad,” said Anderson on TalkSport. “You just have to watch the IPL. They are bringing players into Test cricket from the IPL now who are just so attacking, aggressive, and fearless.” The rivalry between Anderson and Kohli …

Virat Kohli’s retirement ‘boost for England, but massive blow to Test cricket’, says Moeen Ali

Virat Kohli’s retirement ‘boost for England, but massive blow to Test cricket’, says Moeen Ali

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Virat Kohli announced his retirement from Test cricket days after his longtime teammate and captain Rohit Sharma did the same. The veteran pair bow out of the longest format of the game with just over a month left for India’s five-Test tour of England and all-rounder Moeen Ali has stated that while this may help England competitively, Kohli’s retirement in particular is a “massive blow” for Test cricket in general. “Definitely, I think it’s a massive boost for England. Two top players who’ve been to England a few times on tour, so they have experience,” said Moeen on Sky Sports. Both Rohit and Kohli have had their times of peril and glory in whites in England. Kohli had a famously forgettable series in 2014 before plundering runs in 2018. Rohit put in what is rated as the best performance of his Test career in India’s 2021 tour of the country. “I remember Rohit playing really well the last time they were in England. The character they have, the leaders they (are), both of them have …

‘I don’t think Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma will play 2027 ODI World Cup’: Sunil Gavaskar | Cricket News

‘I don’t think Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma will play 2027 ODI World Cup’: Sunil Gavaskar | Cricket News

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The Indian cricket has been pressed hard into a huge transition over the course of one week with stalwarts Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma announcing their retirements ahead of the five-match Test tour to England in June. Following Rohit who quit the longest format last week, Kohli dropped the bombshell announcement on Monday, ending his career with 9230 runs in 123 Tests. While both Kohli and Rohit have committed themselves to hold on in the ODI format, India batting legend Sunil Gavaskar feels that India’s superstar duo will not make it to the next Cricket World Cup in late 2027. The veteran batters were integral to India’s Champions Trophy triumph in March this year in Dubai, with Kohli top-scoring in the semi-final against Australi and Rohit leading the charge against New Zealand with his blazing 76, deeming him Player-of-the-Match. Story continues below this ad With India’s red-ball squad moving into transition, Gavaskar feels that Rohit and Kohli’s futures in the 50-overs format depends entirely on how the team management and selectors’ perspective. “They have been …

Kohli is a ‘legend’, should have retired after England series – Dilip Vengsarkar | Cricket News

Kohli is a ‘legend’, should have retired after England series – Dilip Vengsarkar | Cricket News

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Dilip Vengsarkar As told to Devendra Pandey ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW VIDEO I’m surprised with the decision of Virat Kohli to retire especially because the big England tour is coming up in June. I think he (Virat) should have played against England. It’s a five-match Test series in their backyard, a big series. He could have played the entire series and then called it a day. But he decided not to – and it’s his call. He had a great, outstanding innings. He evolved as a player after each series and each year, a true match-winner. Story continues below this ad Rohit Sharma and Virat will leave a big void. I’m sure there are players in the team who would like to grab the opportunity in the England tour now because I believe there is quality in the squad. The flip side of the retirements by these two players is that others will get the opportunity to establish themselves. The contribution of Virat and Rohit towards Indian cricket is huge and will remembered for a long …

Desire to spend more time with family a factor in Kohli’s retirement | Cricket News

Desire to spend more time with family a factor in Kohli’s retirement | Cricket News

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In the first week of April, chief selector Ajit Agarkar and a powerful administrator running Indian cricket received Virat Kohli’s message that he wanted to retire from Tests while continuing to feature in ODIs. The desire to spend more time with his family was a key factor in his decision-making. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW VIDEO The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) wasn’t ready for such a decision, especially with the five-Test England tour on the horizon. The board and Agarkar, therefore, asked Kohli not to take any decision in haste and give the matter some more thought. However, the star batsman seemed to have made up his mind and the bigwigs at the BCCI had understood that they couldn’t prevent India’s most prolific player from hanging up his bat. It was on May 7 that Kohli reached out to the BCCI big bosses again as he wanted to announce his retirement on social media. However, he was again advised to wait for a few days before making his statement public, as Operation Sindoor …

‘There was something about his eyes that day’

‘There was something about his eyes that day’

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One of the most repeated anecdotes about Virat Kohli’s commitment to cricket has been the time he batted for the Delhi Ranji Trophy team against Karnataka despite the demise of his father, Prem Kohli, during the game in 2006. Kohli was batting on 40 overnight when his father passed away due to cardiac arrest. But the 18-year-old Kohli returned the next morning and ended up scoring 90 runs to help prevent Delhi following on. “I was playing a four-day game at the time and was supposed to resume batting the next day when this (father passed) happened at 230 odd in the morning. We all woke up but had no idea what to do. I literally saw him breathe his last,” Kohli once told Graham Bensinger in an interview. “I called my coach in the morning and told him what had happened and that I wanted to play because leaving a cricket match was not acceptable to me no matter what. I came back from the game for the last rites and promised my brother …

Virat Kohli announces Test retirement: Read Indian cricket star’s full statement | Cricket News

Virat Kohli announces Test retirement: Read Indian cricket star’s full statement | Cricket News

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Virat Kohli announced his Test retirement in an Instagram post with immediate effect on Monday, ahead of the national side’s scheduled five-match tour to England in June. The Indian cricket stalwart follows in the footsteps of Rohit Sharma in calling time on his career in the longest format of the game. After his decision to call time on his Test career, Kohli will arguably go down as one of India’s finest batters in the longest format of the game. Kohli scored 9230 runs in 210 innings, Kohli stands fourth on the all-time charts among Indian batters, only behind the legendary trio of Sachin Tendulkar (15,921), Rahul Dravid (13,265), and Sunil Gavaskar (10,122) with 9230 runs at a 46.85 average. Story continues below this ad Scroll down to read what Kohli wrote in his Instagram post. Virat Kohli’s full statement It’s been 14 years since I first wore the baggy blue in Test cricket. Honestly, I never imagined the journey this format would take me on. It’s tested me, shaped me, and taught me lessons I’ll …

Virat Kohli announces Test retirement: Read Indian cricket star’s full statement | Cricket News

Virat Kohli Test Retirement: Virat Kohli Retires From Test Cricket Latest News Update

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Virat Kohli Test Retirement: India veteran Virat Kohli announced his Test retirement with immediate effect on Monday, ahead of the national side’s scheduled five-match tour to England in June. “It’s been 14 years since I first wore the baggy blue in Test cricket. Honestly, I never imagined the journey this format would take me on. It’s tested me, shaped me, and taught me lessons I’ll carry for life,” Kohli wrote on his Instagram handle. Kohli ended the posted with “#269, signing off”. The 36-year-old Kohli brings down the curtains on a prolific red-ball career, spanning 14 years and 123 Tests. The Delhi batter made his Test debut against the West Indies on June 20, 2011, in Kingston. Story continues below this ad Kohli had since gone on to become India’s most successful batter in the previous decade between 2010 and 2019. Kohli was the third-highest Test run-getter in the period, piling on 7202 runs at 54.97 average and 27 centuries, the most by any batter in the time. However, the India No. 4’s stocks dwindled …