Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli to continue in Grade A plus contracts, BCCI confirms

Despite their recent retirements from Test and Twenty20 International cricket, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has declared that great Indian batsmen Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli would remain in the exclusive Grade A+ annual player retainership category.

Virat Kohli, 36, and Rohit Sharma, 38, have retired from Test cricket ahead of India’s five-match series in England, marking the start of the ICC World Test Championship 2025-27. Kohli concludes a stellar 14-year Test career with 9,230 runs in 123 matches at an average of 46.85, including 30 centuries and a top score of 254*, ranking fourth among India’s Test run-scorers.

Rohit ended his 11-year journey with 4,301 runs in 67 Tests at 40.57, with 12 centuries and a best of 212, placing 16th on India’s all-time list. Both exits mark the end of an era in Indian Test cricket.

Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma to continue in Grade A plus retainers despite retirements

BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia made the declaration on Wednesday, outlining the board's position about the two seasoned cricket players' contracts.

Premier fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah, all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja, and Kohli and Rohit were all in the top-Grade A+ bracket that gets them INR 7 Crores annually, when the BCCI announced its annual player retainership for the 2024–25 season earlier in April.

“Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma’s grade A+ contract will continue despite their retirement from the T20Is and Tests. They are still an integral part of the Indian cricket team, and they will continue to receive all the facilities and benefits associated with the Grade A+ category,” BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia told ANI.

Kohli and Rohit had earlier announced their T20I retirements after the 2024 T20 World Cup. Kohli is the highest run-scorer in T20 World Cup history with 1,292 runs in 35 matches at an average of 58.72. He scored 4,188 runs in 125 T20Is, ranking second overall. Rohit leads the T20I run charts with 4,231 runs in 151 matches.

Despite stepping away from Tests and T20Is, both remain central to India’s ODI plans, reflected in their continued inclusion in the BCCI’s Grade A+ contracts.

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