Kris Srikkanth shares disappointment after Virat Kohli’s Test retirement

Former Indian opener Kris Srikkanth has shared his disappointment after Virat Kohli announced his Test retirement. Kohli took to his Instagram account on Monday to share the news with the whole cricketing world.

The 1983 World Cup-winning player, Srikkanth, said he would have asked Kohli to lead the team on the England tour if he was the chairman of selectors. 

Kohli led India in 68 Test matches, winning 40, drawing 11 and losing 17, and thus he is regarded as one of India’s most successful Test captains.

Kohli always led with aplomb and got the best out of the team in the overseas conditions as a leader. The Indian veteran amassed 9230 runs in 123 Test matches at an average of 46.85, including 30 centuries.

“If I was the chairman now, I would say, ‘Boss, you captain the team, bring back glory to Indian Test cricket, and then leave Test cricket’,” Srikkanth said in an interview with RevSportz.

“The selectors should have convinced him. Had I been there I would have spoken to him and asked him to captain India in England. Bring back the glory days to India’s Test cricket and retire. That would have made it the perfect end,” he added.

Meanwhile, Srikkanth was the chairman of selectors when India toured Australia in 2011-12. The former selector revealed why they picked Virat Kohli on that tour.

“He was a special talent. I think Virat was outstanding because all of us liked his sincerity, integrity, and everything. Also he was a very hard-working boy at that time. And we all realized he has terrific potential and that’s why we picked him ahead of everybody else for the Australian series,” he said.

Kohli was a breath of fresh air and played a key role in taking Indian cricket to new heights.