“It wouldn’t be appropriate…” - Sachin Tendulkar opens up on Virat Kohli’s Test retirement

Former Indian legendary cricketer Sachin Tendulkar has finally opened up on Virat Kohli retiring from the longest format of the game ahead of the England tour. Interestingly, Kohli’s retirement came a few days after skipper Rohit Sharma bid adieu to the format.

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To make things more interesting, Virat’s retirement decision came after the batter prepared for the England tour. He was part of the Delhi Ranji team after showing poor form in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia. However, his red-ball retirement shocked many.

Ahead of the England tour, when Sachin was asked to share a few words on the Indian talismanic batter’s retirement from the longest format of the game, the Master Blaster stated it’s his personal decision and one shouldn’t pass casual remarks.

“It’s a personal decision. It’s easy for outsiders to pass casual remarks and say he shouldn't have done this or that. But only the individual truly understands their mindset and how their body is coping with the demands of the longer format. So, it wouldn’t be appropriate for me to comment further,” Sachin Tendulkar told BBC.

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Interestingly, this was the first tour for Team India after the retirements of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. The BCCI selection committee has decided to appoint Shubman Gill as the new Test captain with Rishabh Pant taking over as his deputy.

Furthermore, Sachin talked about the decent experience the Indian dressing room possesses on the England tour. With all the players well trained to handle tough situations, the Master Blaster is of the strong opinion that it will be a tightly contested series. 

“That’s what players train for — to handle tough situations. I believe the team has the strength to deal with whatever England throws at them. We’ve got experienced players like KL Rahul, Jadeja, Bumrah. Rishabh Pant and Shubman Gill have gained solid experience. Karun Nair has international exposure and has played a lot of first-class and county cricket. Then there's Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sai Sudharsan — they’ve shown great promise. I think we’re well prepared. It should be a tightly contested series,” he concluded.

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