“Not a good look for the game and Indian cricket” - Srikkanth on retirements of Kohli, Rohit, Pujara

Overview

• Krishnamachari Srikkanth has expressed his disappointment with the way senior players like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and Pujara have announced their retirements.
• Pujara recently announced his retirement from all forms of the game.
• Both Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma have also retired from both the T20Is and Tests. 

Cheteshwar Pujara became the latest Indian cricketer to announce his retirement from all forms of the game. He made the decision public through his social media platforms. Pujara will always be remembered as one of India’s greatest Test batters.

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However, former India captain and chief selector Krishnamachari Srikkanth has expressed his disappointment with the way senior players like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and Pujara have announced their retirements. While Pujara has stepped away from all formats, both Kohli and Rohit announced their Test retirements through social media just before the recent England tour, after already retiring from T20Is following the T20 World Cup 2024 triumph.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, Srikkanth said that Kohli still had at least two years of Test cricket left in him and that players of such stature deserved a proper farewell.

"They should have spoken to them" - Srikkanth

"If you play 100 Tests for your country, you must be a terrific cricketer. So you should be given a good send-off. I am convinced there was a big communication gap when Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma retired. They should have spoken to them, but instead, this is not a good look for the game and Indian cricket," he said.

"Virat Kohli's retirement happened just like that. Virat Kohli deserved a better send-off. He still had two years of Test cricket left in him. But because we drew in England, such talks about him got shut off. However, India will find it difficult to get a cricketer like Virat Kohli for some time," Srikkanth further added.

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"Similarly with Pujara, though it's been a while since he played for India, they should have spoken to him also about his retirement plans. Of course, the player also has to cooperate and realise when their time is up. Had that happened, Pujara would have got a better send-off. But it's a matter of cooperation between the player, selectors and the BCCI," he concluded.