Ajit Agarkar Reveals When Virat Kohli Informed BCCI About Retirement Plans

By Swapneel Deshpande 24 May 2025, 11:47 IST

Agarkar Reveals When Virat Kohli Retired from Tests

The BCCI has named Shubman Gill as India’s new Test captain. He will lead the team in the five-match Test series against England. The series will begin on June 20, 2025. Rishabh Pant will be the vice-captain.

Gill takes over after Rohit Sharma retired from Test cricket. Virat Kohli also announced his Test retirement earlier this month. This marks the beginning of a new era for India’s Test team.

Kohli Informed BCCI In April

Chief selector Ajit Agarkar said Virat Kohli informed the BCCI about his retirement in April.

“Virat reached out early April & said he had made up his mind (to retire from Test cricket),” Agarkar said during the press conference.

Kohli played 113 Tests and scored more than 8000 runs. He also led India in 68 Tests, winning 40 of them. His retirement came as a surprise for many fans.

Young Players Join The Squad

India’s Test squad for the England tour has 18 players. Some young and new names have joined the team. Sai Sudharsan got his first Test call-up. Karun Nair returned to the team after seven years. He last played a Test in 2017.

Mohammed Shami is not part of the squad. The medical team said he is not fit enough for long spells.

“His workload is not where it needs to be. We were hoping he will be available but it is unfortunate. At the moment he is not fully fit,” Agarkar said.

Gill Begins New Journey

Shubman Gill is 25 years old. He has captained Gujarat Titans in the IPL. He led them to the playoffs. Now, he takes charge of India’s Test team.

“Last year or so we have looked at Shubman (for leadership). We are hopeful he is the guy who is going (to take the team forward). It is a high pressure job but he is a terrific player. We wish him all the best,” Agarkar said.

India will play the Tests in Leeds, Birmingham, London, Manchester, and Nottingham. This is a fresh start for Indian Test cricket.

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