Former Indian cricketer Kris Srikkanth has expressed disappointment over the Board of Control for Cricket in India’s (BCCI) handling of retirements, saying that Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Cheteshwar Pujara deserved more fitting send-offs. Srikkanth also suggested that Kohli still had at least two years of Test cricket left in him and criticized the board for lacking proper communication with the players as they concluded their careers in the longest format.
Rohit and Virat Kohli stunned the Indian cricket community by announcing their Test retirements in May this year, while Test specialist Cheteshwar Pujara recently retired from all forms of the game.
Both Pujara and Virat Kohli concluded illustrious careers, having played over 100 matches for India. Rohit, meanwhile, served as India’s Test captain from 2022 to 2025 and led the team to the final of the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) 2021-23.
Kris Srikkanth Criticizes BCCI Over Kohli and Rohit’s Retirement Send-Offs
Former India selector Kris Srikkanth believes there was a major communication gap when Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma retired. Speaking on his YouTube channel, he said that Kohli, Rohit, and Cheteshwar Pujara all deserved much better farewells from the BCCI.
“If you play 100 Tests for your country, you must be a terrific cricketer. You deserve a proper send-off. I am convinced there was a big communication gap when Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma retired. They should have been consulted. Instead, the way it happened doesn’t reflect well on Indian cricket,” Srikkanth said.
He also feels Kohli had at least two more years of Test cricket left.
“Virat Kohli’s retirement happened just like that. He deserved a better send-off. He still had two years of Test cricket in him. But after the drawn series in England, discussions around him were abruptly shut down. Finding a player like Virat Kohli won’t be easy for India anytime soon,” he added.
Srikkanth stressed that the BCCI should have communicated with Pujara about his retirement plans as well.
“Similarly with Pujara, even though it’s been some time since he last played, the BCCI should have spoken to him about his retirement plans. Of course, the player also needs to recognize when it’s time to step away. With better cooperation between the player, selectors, and BCCI, Pujara could have received a proper farewell,” he said.
For context, Rohit Sharma played 67 Tests for India, scoring 4,301 runs in 116 innings at an average of 40.58. Kohli amassed 9,230 runs in 123 Tests at an average of 46.85, including 30 centuries and seven double hundreds. Pujara accumulated 7,195 runs in 103 Tests with 19 centuries.
Rohit and Kohli remain active in ODI cricket and are expected to feature in India’s upcoming series against Australia in October.