BCCI Vice President Rajeev Shukla has responded to growing speculation around the sudden Test retirements of Indian cricket stalwarts Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. Both players stepped away from the longest format earlier this year, within days of each other, leaving fans shocked and curious.
Retirement Was a Personal Decision, Says BCCI
The timing of the announcements raised eyebrows, especially since both had shown interest in participating in the England series.
Rohit had even spoken in an interview with Michael Clarke about his excitement to lead the Indian side in English conditions.
At the same time, reports suggested that Kohli was looking forward to using the series as a chance to rediscover his Test form.
This sudden shift led many to believe their decisions may not have been entirely voluntary.
Rajeev Shukla, however, has firmly denied those claims. “I want to make it very clear once and for all. We are all feeling the absence of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. The decision to retire was made by Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli on their own. It is the policy of BCCI that we never tell any player to retire. It was their call.”
Shubman Gill, Team India Meet King Charles III
In a lighter moment during the ongoing England tour, the Indian men’s and women’s teams had the opportunity to meet King Charles III.
The interaction took place at Clarence House, where the 76-year-old monarch spoke with Indian players like Shubman Gill, Rishabh Pant, and Jasprit Bumrah.
“It was amazing. I think he (King Charles) is very kind and generous… we had some really good conversations,” Gill said after the meeting.
Lord’s Test Defeat Discussed with the Monarch
During the chat, King Charles brought up India’s narrow loss in the Lord’s Test match.
India had been chasing 193 runs on the final day, only to fall short due to a bizarre dismissal of Mohammed Siraj.
“He did tell us that the way our last batsman (Mohammed Siraj) got out was quite unfortunate, the ball rolling on to the stumps. And he was just asking us, ‘how did you feel after that?’ And we told him it was an unfortunate match for us… but hopefully, we’ll have better luck in both the next games,” Gill shared.
Kohli, Rohit Exit Leaves Big Void in Indian Test Side
Their absence has been felt strongly, especially with India still adjusting to a new leadership core in the Test setup.
Young players are now stepping into larger roles, but the presence and experience of Rohit and Kohli remain irreplaceable for now.
Despite rumors and theories, the BCCI continues to stand by its statement — the decisions were made by the players themselves, and not influenced by the board.
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