Virat Kohli announced his retirement from Tests after a 14-year career.
Veteran England all-rounder Moeen Ali believes that India batter Virat Kohli’s retirement from Test cricket is a “massive boost” for England but at the same time it’s a “massive blow” for Test cricket.
Virat Kohli announced his retirement from Tests on Monday, ending a stellar 14-year career in the longest format. He signed off from the format with 9230 runs from 123 Tests, including 31 fifties and 30 centuries.
The Delhi cricketer’s retirement comes just over a month before India’s away Test series against England that starts on June 20. India are scheduled to play five Tests in England and will be without Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, who had also announced his retirement from the format last week.
“Definitely, I think it’s a massive boost for England. Two top players who’ve been to England a few times on tour, so they have experience,” Moeen Ali said on Sky Sports.
ALSO READ:
Virat Kohli had endured a disappointing outing in England in 2014, but came back strongly in 2018, when he amassed 593 runs from 10 innings. He ended as the top run-getter of that series seven years ago. Rohit Sharma, on the other hand, had a memorable tour of England in 2021 when he scored 368 runs from eight innings.
“I remember Rohit playing really well the last time they were in England. The character they have, the leaders they (are), both of them have captained India in Test cricket, so yeah a massive loss for the team,” the 37-year-old added.
Moeen Ali explained how Virat Kohli always pushed for the success of the Test cricket format.
“It’s (Kohli’s retirement) a massive blow to Test cricket. He was the one pioneer, the one guy in Test cricket that always pushed the format. Amazing player, amazing career.
“It’s (Kohli’s retirement) a massive blow to Test cricket. He was the one pioneer, the one guy in Test cricket that always pushed the format. Amazing player, amazing career,” explained the Birmingham-born cricketer.
For more updates, follow CricXtasy on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Telegram, and YouTube.
