Monty Panesar and Virat Kohli. | (Credits: X)
Having left a lasting legacy on Test cricket, Virat Kohli quietly walked away from the format with a poignant announcement via his official Instagram account. Former England cricketer or spinner Monty Panesar spoke to the Free Press Journal, dissecting the reason behind Kohli’s Test retirement and exploring the Indian legend’s impact on the format.
Here are the excerpts from the interview:
1) The cricketing fraternity is still recovering from the blow landed by Virat Kohli’s Test retirement. Can you please tell me has been going through your mind since he announced it?
Yeah, look, bit of a shock, really. A bit shocked, a little bit sad. I thought he had 2-3 years more in Test cricket and he’s left a massive hole to fill for Indian cricket now. I know he had a bad tour in Australia but him coming to England, he’s got a massive fan base. I was always looking forward to watching him play. Surprised really, that he’s retired from Test cricket.
2) His last Test innings and that dismissal of Scott Boland, thumping his thigh in frustration. That mode of dismissal, edging through the cordon or keeper had become a pattern throughout that series. Did you feel he had resigned himself to the extent that he cannot work it out anymore?
I think that’s a good point. He was probably mentally fatigued and that corridor of uncertainty got the best out of him. He wasn’t sure where his off-stump is, which balls to leave. Probably at the end, he just got tired and thought, ‘Maybe I’m past my best now. For the betterment of Indian cricket, I should probably move on now. They can bring a youngster and use the England tour to find the next superstar. He’s probably done it for unselfish reasons.
He has retired because he probably knows deep down that balls outside off-stump is his weakness and can’t figure out. He’s probably also exhausted by playing so much high-intensity cricket and probably thought ‘It’s the best time to bow out. Let India find the next youngster.
3) With Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli set to play only ODIs now, do you see them playing the 2027 World Cup which seems to be their goal?
Look it depends upon the form. Indian cricket has a lot of talent coming through. It also depends upon the BCCI, whether they want Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma to be part of the ODI team or do they have players where they need a fresh start where they say right ‘Let’s put a new Test and ODI team’. It could potentially mean they may not feature. They may see it as an opportunity to breed in youngsters, there’s two years to go for the next World Cup. It woudn’t surprise me if they don’t feature in ODI cricket either.
4) Of course, looming in front of us is the tour of England when India play five Tests. Do you see the selectors recalling Ajinkya Rahane or Cheteshwar Pujara or both so that the team has some experienced heads in the dressing room?
I think how Gautam Gambhir and BCCI thinks, I reckon they have moved on from them. I think they will just bring in youngsters, who have bit of a talent and flair. They will use the tour to find a balanced top six and India could be even more dangerous with the exuberance and fearlessness of the youth. Hopefully, India can quickly recover and they don’t feel they are missing Virat Kohli a lot. I hope they are able to fill that hole quickly because that No.4 spot is the hardest spot in Indian cricket.
Sachin Tendulkar had it in 1992 and Virat Kohli took over in 2013. So, hopefully, they will find that number four. With the talent that they have coming through, I think they will quickly recover. They may surprise and even beat England with a young dangerous team.
5) The big question is also from the captaincy perspective. Who do you see taking over? There have been talks of Shubman Gill, Jasprit Bumrah and remotely even Rishabh Pant. Who do you think makes a good fit?
Well, I think with Shubman Gill’s batting average being below 40, he’s more talented than that. He should average 45+ in Test cricket, so they may just let him focus on his batting. I think Jasprit Bumrah is probably the one they will go for because the wickets here will probably swing a little bit, seam. I know it’s in July but overcast conditions and the bowlers are in the game. So, at some point during the Test match, that will happen. So, I think Jasprit Bumrah is a good choice for the tour of England and see how it goes and if it’s successful, they might just keep up with him. But I would go with Jasprit Bumrah.
6) With Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli stepping down, are England overwhelming favourites to win the series? Or do you see India pulling off something like the young side did in Australia in 2021?
Yeah, look, that’s what the Indian team will look to do, continue Virat Kohli’s legacy, Got to play with that passion, aggression, in-your-face type of cricket. Looking at some of the Test matches they won, the Brisbane one, that was unbelievable, that’s the sort of inspiration this Indian team should take and they have every opportunity of doing that. When you look at the England camp, from their perspective, they will say we have a great chance of winning this series without Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. So, they will be very confident. But they can’t be complacent.
They have got to think that this Indian team has the ability, they love new challenges, the unknowns, they will look to be aggressive. So, in my opinion, this fearless young team will look to be dangerous for England. So, England need to be on their toes. But they will be comfortable, knowing that Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli is not on the tour.
7) How do you rate Virat Kohli’s legacy as a captain and batsman in Tests. He scored 9230 runs in 123 Tests and is the most successful Indian Test skipper, including helping India register a series win in Australia. How do you see his impact over the 14 years he played Test cricket?
Yeah, look I think everyone was excited by his super talent and kind of immediately knew he would take over Sachin Tendulkar’s No.4 position. Then he had his best years in 2016-2019 when he averaged over 70. After that, it kind of dipped for him. After Covid, he didn’t really find that same form. Eventually, you ask yourself the question how long can I keep going with the form he was producing after 2020. He probably felt it was the right time to move on, especially after a dreadful tour of Australia.
Overall, when you look at Virat Kohli, he is a global superstar that brought so much attention to Indian cricket, world cricket. He’s got fans all over the world, making them follow cricket. He is a massive brand, so cricket is going to miss that bit, his global superstar status and he is ‘King Kohli’.
Do we have another superstar cricketer like him that can compete against the other world athletes? At the moment, in cricket? I don’t think so, not at the moment. That’s the bit cricket will miss. But I hope he is there for the Olympics in LA because that would be unbelievable. If he can somehow come out of T20I retirement and play there.
8) One last question for you. With IPL 2025 resuming after the one-week suspension and with Virat Kohli in supreme touch this year, do you see the Royal Challengers Bengaluru finally breaking their title drought?
I hope so. I hope it’s that year when Virat Kohli wins it because he deserves to win an IPL trophy. He has done so much for Indian cricket and IPL. That’s the one trophy missing in his cabinet and he’s been in tremendous form. So, he has got the desire, the hunger, the same fitness levels. So fingers crossed. Since he’s retired from Test cricket, let’s hope he can win the IPL this year.
