“They have said goodbye to the wrong format” - Ex-Indian cricketer opens up on Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma’s Test retirements

Former Indian cricketer and commentator Aakash Chopra has opened up on the veteran duo Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma’s retirements from T20Is and Tests, stating that they have retired from the wrong format. 

Speaking on his YouTube channel, Chopra asserted that the duo should’ve continued playing the longest format of the game and said goodbye to the One-Day format instead, as Team India played only six ODIs in 12 months before the start of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 earlier this year.

"The truth is that they have said goodbye to the wrong format. They had left T20Is after winning the T20 World Cup, but the story might have been different had they continued to play Tests and said goodbye to ODIs. India played only six ODIs in 12 months before the Champions Trophy," Chopra said on his YouTube channel.

He further reckoned that there’s a huge difference in playing six Tests in a year and as many ODIs in 12 months. Interestingly, India will not play an ODI series until the end of October this year. The next ODI series for Team India is scheduled against Australia Down Under.

"There is a possibility that you might play only six Tests in a year, but even if it's only six Tests, it's 30 days of cricket. If only six ODIs are played, it's just six days of cricket over a period of time. It will be more than 100 days from your last IPL match to the next ODI you will play. You are not playing at all. You are not practicing at all," he added.

"A three-match series gets over in seven to eight days. Then the next one would be after three months. Gaps are just incredibly huge, and you won't play first-class cricket in between. It's true that had they continued playing Test cricket and left ODIs, staying in the groove would have been a lot easier," he observed.

Most recently, reports emerged that the BCCI management wanted the veteran duo to take part in the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2024-25 season to stay in contention for ODI team selection. It would be interesting to watch how the duo fares in the premier domestic tournament.

"When you have retired from Tests, and ODI cricket isn't played much, it's not going to make a lot of sense. So just two months of high-intensity IPL, where you would get to play 14 to 16 innings, and then you would play three matches after six months, and then three matches after another three months. I think it is very, very difficult," Chopra concluded.

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