Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli called time on their Test career in the span of five days.
Having retired from T20Is last year, both the batting stalwarts will now focus solely on the One-Day International format.
In an interaction with Hindustan Times, former South Africa cricketer Daryll Cullinan shared his verdict on their retirement.
Cullinan feels Rohit’s Test retirement was “long overdue” and it is not a “loss” for the Indian cricket team.
“Rohit’s retirement was probably long overdue in terms of test cricket away from India. Let’s be honest about it. He hasn’t really been the player that he throughout his career has been at home and we saw reluctance from him in recent Australian series to really take it on and lead from the front. So I don’t see that as being a loss for India at all,” Cullinan said.
Rohit Sharma’s Test journey began with an impressive 177 against West Indies at the Eden Gardens, Kolkata in 2013. Between 2013-18, he featured in 27 Tests, scoring 1,585 runs at an average of 39.63 with three centuries and 10 fifties.
After an underwhelming start, Sharma revived his Test career as an opener with two centuries against South Africa at Vizag in 2019. He finished his Test career with 4,301 runs coming from 67 matches at an average of 40.57, including 12 centuries and 18 fifties. He led India in 24 Tests, winning 12 and losing nine games.
Kohli’s retirement came days after Rohit announced that he’s done playing Tests. Cullinan opined that “anxiety” drove Kohli towards retirement from the traditional format.
“His retirement didn’t really come as a surprise to me. We’ve seen in recent times he’s battled a bit at Test cricket. And what happens, I believe, as a batsman too, or sportsman or cricketer, is that when you are constantly working on your game and physically staying in shape and mentally dealing with anxiety at Test cricket, you get to a point where you don’t want to put in that work to get yourself out of a bad rut or find some form again.
“You don’t feel you want to do it anymore. I think that’s as much whether it’s injury or a really bad run which ends your career,” Cullinan remarked.
Virat Kohli, who made his Test debut in 2011, played an instrumental role in India's red-ball resurgence over the past decade with his aggressive captaincy, prolific batting and unmatched intensity on the field.
Kohli led his country in 68 Test matches and suffered defeat in only 17 of them. With 40 wins and 11 draws, he boasts a remarkable win percentage of 58.82, making him the most successful Test captain in India's history.
Kohli ended his Test career with 9230 runs from 123 matches at an average of 46.85, including 30 centuries and 31 fifties, with the highest score of 254.