Test cricket needs Virat Kohli, he is going to average 60-plus here on: Brian Lara-OxBig News Network

Former West Indies batter Brian Lara said that Virat Kohli should not retire from Test cricket. Earlier on Saturday, it was learnt that the 36-year-old Kohli had reached out to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) regarding his decision to quit playing in the longest format of the game.

However, a senior official in the board spoke to Kohli, asking him to rethink this decision. In a post on his Instagram account, Lara, who is the only batter with an individual score of 400 in Tests, backed Kohli to bat at an average of above 60 for the rest of his Test career.

Lara wrote, “Test cricket needs Virat!! He is going to be persuaded. He is NOT going to retire from Test cricket. @virat.kohli is going to average above 60 for the remainder of his Test career.”

Kohli didn’t have the best of times when India toured Australia for the 2024-25 Border Gavaskar Trophy. He scored a century in the second innings of the opening Test in Perth, helping India win by 295 runs. But from there on, Kohli lost his way as India lost the series 1-3 with losses in Melbourne, Adelaide and Sydney.

Recently, Rohit Sharma also pulled the curtains down on his 11-year-long Test career. Rohit’s retirement means that India need to pick a new captain for their upcoming tour of England. If Kohli steps down, India will be in with a huge challenge of finding his apt replacement in England, where conditions will be challenging for batting.

Recently, India slipped to fourth in the ICC Test rankings after also failing to qualify for the World Test Championship final to be held in June.

India will look to make amends and start the 2025-27 cycle of the WTC on a handsome note in the series opener against England, starting June 20 at Headingley in Leeds.