India’s star batter Virat Kohli is reportedly not considering to call time on his illustrious international career despite struggling in the recently-concluded Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) against Australia, Indian media reported on Sunday.
According to a report, Kohli is in ‘no mood’ to retire and instead wants to stretch his decorated career until the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2027, slated to be played in Africa.
The development came after the 36-year-old endured one of the worst years of his career in 2024, which saw him scoring only one Test century, which came in the second innings of the first BGT Test in Perth.
Since then, the right-handed batter struggled to make significant contributions and was repeatedly dismissed while chasing deliveries outside the off-stump channel.
Kohli’s underwhelming performance raised doubts over his future, alongside another veteran Rohit Sharma, who had an even worse series as he managed to score only 31 runs across five innings.
Their struggles in the recently-concluded series made it hard for them to be selected in India’s upcoming Tests, said a former selector, as quoted by an Indian news outlet.
“Would be very hard for selectors to pick either Rohit Sharma or Virat Kohli on the basis of IPL performance or form. There has to be some red-ball cricket for them in the lead-up to the England tour," a former Indian selector was quoted saying.
After India’s six-wicket defeat against Australia in the final Test, head coach Gautam Gambhir also commented on the duo’s future, stating they will "decide what is best for Indian cricket."
“They are tough individuals with immense hunger for the game; they’ll decide what is best for Indian cricket,” Gambhir said.
“To maintain harmony in the dressing room, I must be honest and fair to everyone. Rohit Sharma demonstrated accountability at the top,” he added.
It is pertinent to mention that India’s 3-1 series defeat marked Australia’s first BGT victory since 2017.
With the series triumph, Australia also joined South Africa in the World Test Championship (WTC) final, scheduled to be played at the iconic The Lord’s in June this year.
