Virat Kohli’s sudden retirement from test cricket has sent shockwaves through the cricket world. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) revealed that Kohli had been planning to retire from test cricket for some time, but many were still urging him not to hang up his boots.
As the Indian team heads to England for their upcoming tour, speculation about Kohli’s decision continues to swirl. Fans and former cricketers alike are holding out hope that he might reconsider and return to the test circuit.
Michael Clarke, former captain of the Australian cricket team, has made a bold claim about Kohli’s potential return. In a recent episode of his YouTube podcast, Beyond 23, Clarke suggested that if India performs poorly in their five-match test series against England, Kohli might be persuaded to come out of retirement. Clarke believes that if the Indian team struggles, selectors might approach Kohli about returning to the team.
Kohli announced his retirement from test cricket on May 12, 2025, just five days after team captain Rohit Sharma made a similar announcement. The BCCI claims that Kohli had been planning to retire from test cricket since after the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Throughout his career, Kohli played 123 test matches, scoring 9,230 runs. Earlier in his career, Kohli had expressed his desire to score 10,000 runs in test cricket, but after a lackluster performance in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, he decided to call it quits.
Former cricketers and fans are now left to wonder what might have been if Kohli had stuck around to chase that milestone. With the test series against England looming, all eyes will be on the Indian team to see how they perform without their star player. Will Kohli’s retirement prove to be a permanent one, or might he be tempted to return to the test circuit? Only time will tell.