“Boss, you captain the team”

Former Indian captain Kris Srikkanth expressed his unhappiness over Virat Kohli‘s sudden Test retirement. Kohli’s announcement came on Monday, May 12, shocking fans and pundits alike.

In an interview with RevSportz, Srikkanth said he would have asked Virat Kohli to captain the team in England and then retire if he were the selection committee chairman.

“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’,” he said.

“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.

Virat Kohli played 123 matches in his Test career and scored 9230 runs at an average of 46.85, with 30 centuries.

Srikkanth reveals why they picked Virat Kohli during the 2011-12 Australia series

Notably, Kris Srikkanth was the chairman of selectors when Virat Kohli was picked for the 2011-12 Australia series. This was also the series where Kohli scored his first Test hundred on Australian soil.

In the same interview, Srikkanth revealed that they had realized Kohli’s potential and so picked him ahead of others for the 2011-12 series Down Under.

“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.

Srikkanth further praised Kohli, adding that he had exceeded all expectations, becoming one of the greatest Test players from the country.