"I think he will come out of retirement if..."- Michael Clarke drops colossal statement on Virat Kohli ahead of ENG vs IND series

Virat Kohli announced his test retirement last month.

Former Australian cricketer Michael Clarke has made a massive statement on Virat Kohli‘s test retirement. He said that if the Indian Cricket Team went on to lose the test series against England by a margin of 5-0, then the batter might come out of retirement. 

The Indian Cricket Team will be heading into the test series against England without the two key batters, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. The legends of the game announced their retirements from the longest format of the game last month, and it will be a young team that will be playing there under Shubman Gill.

Virat Kohli’s test retirement came as a massive shock, as no one expected him to retire from the format he loves. However, through a social media post, he penned down an emotional message, highlighting that it wasn’t an easy decision, but he felt that his time had come. 

With England being extremely dominant at home, there have been calls for him to take his retirement back. Some sections of the reports also suggested that ICC Chairman Jay Shah will have a discussion with Virat Kohli, as the batter is touted as the face of test cricket, and to save the format, his presence is needed.

While talking about Virat Kohli’s retirement, Michael Clarke said that if India lost the series to England, then fans would want the premier batter to come out of retirement. He added that if skipper Shubman Gill and team management request him, the batter might reconsider his decision.

“I believe this. If India go to England and get flogged, if they lose the series 5-0 for example, I think the fans will want Virat Kohli to come out of retirement and play Test cricket again,” Michael Clarke said on the Beyond23 Cricket podcast, as quoted by news agency PTI. 

“And I honestly, I think if he was asked by the captain, selectors and supported by fans, if they get beaten big time in England, I think he’ll come. He still loves Test cricket. I think his words, I think those words, like you could hear his passion for Test cricket is real.” 

I think they can still win in England, even without Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma – Michael Clarke 

Michael Clarke also shared his take on the series result between England and India. He believes that the Shubman Gill-led team can still win without Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, adding that they have a good squad. 

“He (Virat) sees it as the pinnacle and he’s still playing good enough cricket. He definitely made the decision to retire and whatever his reasons are, everybody comes to that time in their career.”

“If that’s the case, then so be it. But if they don’t perform, if they get beaten, like I say, 5-0 in England, which I don’t think they will. I think they can still win in England, even without Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. I think this Indian squad is a good squad.” 

The test series between England and India will begin from 20th June at Headingley in Leeds. The series will also mark the new edition of the ICC World Test Championship cycle 2025-27.

For more updates, follow Khel Now Cricket on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Youtube; download the Khel Now Android App or IOS App and join our community on Whatsapp & Telegram.