Former India cricketer Ambati Rayudu urged Virat Kohli to reconsider his decision to retire from Test cricket ahead of the upcoming red-ball series against England. According to reports, former India captain Kohli has decided to hang up his boots from the longest format of the game and informed the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) about his call. The right-handed batter will not play in the five-match Test series against England.
However, the top cricket officials of BCCI have not accepted his decision and requested him to rethink, as the national team needs Kohli in the important assignment against the Ben Stokes-led team. Rayudu, who often mocks Virat Kohli's Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), took his social media to urge the batting great to rethink his decision because the team needs him in whites.
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"Virat Kohli please don’t retire.. The Indian team needs you more than ever. You have so much more in the tank. Test cricket will not be the same without you walking out to battle it out for Team India.. Please reconsider." Ambati Rayudu posted.
Earlier, Sports Tak reported that the BCCI will announce the India squad on May 16 or 17. The Indian Cricket Board will also announce a new Test captain for the series as regular skipper Rohit Sharma announced his retirement. Sources close to Sports Tak told that Shubman Gill and KL Rahul are the contenders to take over the Test captaincy, where young Shubman is leading the race.
Gill has never led India in Test matches or ODIs, he captained the Men in Blue in five T20Is all on a tour of Zimbabwe in 2024 following India's victory in the preceding T20 World Cup, and it seems his leadership quality has impressed selectors and the BCCI.