Kohli-Rohit retirements ‘personal call', says India selector
MUMBAI: The Test retirements of stalwarts Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli were personal calls that have opened up opportunities in Indian cricket, chief selector Ajit Agarkar said on Saturday.
Top-order batter Shubman Gill has been chosen to succeed Rohit as India's Test captain, starting with the all-important five-Test tour of England in June and July.
Rohit and Kohli called time on their Test careers within the space of six days this month, adding to the void after veteran spinner Ravichandran Ashwin left the five-day format late last year.
'When guys like that retire, it's always going to be big holes to fill,' Agarkar told reporters in Mumbai after he announced the team for the England series.
India's Kohli follows Rohit into Test retirement
'Those three guys are stalwarts of our cricket. It's always difficult. One way of looking at it is, it's an opportunity for someone else. They've left a legacy behind.'
Former fast bowler Agarkar said Kohli had 'reached out in early April' to say that he wanted to finish.
'We've seen him give 200 percent to every ball that he plays,' he said.
'If he can't keep up to the standards that he's set himself over the years, how good he's been, maybe it was time for him.'
India skipper Rohit Sharma announces retirement from Tests
Kohli, like Rohit, announced his exit on Instagram, with media speculating that the former captain was forced into making the call by the Indian management.
Kohli, one of the best batters of his generation, a hero to millions of Indians and one of the top stars in world sport, scored 9,230 runs in 123 matches at an average of 46.85.
'That's why I think we've got to show them the respect that they want,' said Agarkar, adding that 'speculating too many things' was not right.
'Even if you're going to pick someone and not pick somebody, you're not going to ask that guy to retire', he said.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Business Recorder
4 days ago
- Business Recorder
Indian police arrest four people for cricket fans stampede
Police in India's tech capital of Bengaluru have arrested four people, including an official of a top cricket franchise, in connection with a stampede during a trophy celebration that killed 11 people and injured 47, media reported. Four people, three from an event management company and one official from the Royal Challengers Bengaluru cricket team, whose victory in the Indian Premier League this week led to fan frenzy, were arrested early on Friday morning, media said. Spokespersons for the team did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Reuters. On Wednesday, Bengaluru were celebrating their win the previous day over Punjab Kings in the final of the IPL's 18th edition, the world's richest T20 cricket league. The team had given away free passes for the celebration at a stadium in the city but said that numbers would be limited. Thousands of people gathered outside the stadium, and fans without passes tried push through the gates, leading to a stampede. At least 11 die in crowd chaos outside Indian cricket stadium The franchise said later the incident was 'unfortunate' and pledged one million Indian rupees to each family of the 11 fans who died on Wednesday. Stampedes occur frequently in India, mainly at religious events, but it was the first time in 45 years that fans had died in a crush at a sporting event, media said. India's head cricket coach Gautam Gambhir said on Thursday he did not support such roadshows and celebrations. 'Celebration is important. But more important than that is the life of any person. So, if we are not prepared or if we can't handle the crowd in that way, then we might as well not have these roadshows,' Gambhir told reporters.
Express Tribune
4 days ago
- Express Tribune
IPL's Bengaluru pledge cash help for stampede victims
Fans stand next to abandonned shoes and a fallen barriers following a stampede during celebrations, a day after Royal Challengers Bengaluru's victory at the Indian Premier League (IPL) outside the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Wednesday evening. PHOTO: AFP Royal Challengers Bengaluru said Thursday they stood "united" with fans as the Indian Premier League champions announced financial aid to families of those crushed to death during their title celebrations. Hundreds of thousands had packed the streets in the southern Indian city of Bengaluru on Wednesday to welcome home their hero Virat Kohli and his RCB team-mates after they beat Punjab Kings in a thrilling IPL final. But the euphoria of the vast crowds ended in disaster when 11 fans died in a stampede near the city's M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, where the players were parading the trophy. Most of the dead were young fans aged between 14 and 29 who had gone out just to catch a glimpse of their heroes. Dozens of abandoned shoes and flip-flops littered the site in the aftermath. RCB offered financial aid of $11,655 to each family of those killed. Indian media have widely reported the team earned $2.3 million in prize money alone for taking the title on Wednesday. "Our fans will always remain at the heart of everything that we do," RCB said. "We remain united in grief." Kohli, who top-scored in the final, said he was "at a loss for words" after celebrations of a dream IPL crown turned to tragedy. Prime Minister Narendra Modi called the accident "absolutely heartrending". Police used mild force to disperse people outside the stadium, an eyewitness told AFP, but the crowd was "extremely difficult" to control. Lakshminarayan, who lost his 14-year-old granddaughter in the crush, said his family carried the child in a motor rickshaw to hospital. He said celebrations should have been delayed to prepare for the widely expected mass crowds. "There was no need to conduct celebrations the very next day, they should have postponed it to a week and organised it a better way," he said. "You should take all precautionary measures, they should have police protection and follow the queue system." Street food vendor Manoj Kumar mourned the death of his 18-year-old son. "I wanted him to go to college," Kumar told the Indian Express newspaper. "I brought him up with a lot of care. Now he is gone." A grieving mother outside a city mortuary said her 22-year-old engineering student son had also died. "He was crazy about RCB," she was quoted as saying by the Indian Express. "He died in an RCB shirt. They danced when RCB won and now he is gone. Can RCB give him back to us?".
Business Recorder
4 days ago
- Business Recorder
IPL's Bengaluru pledge financial aid for victims of crowd surge
BENGALURU: Indian Premier League franchise Royal Challengers Bengaluru have pledged one million Indian rupees ($11,654) to each family of the 11 fans who died in a crowd surge outside the team's home stadium on Wednesday during celebrations following their maiden IPL title. The franchise will also launch a support fund for the injured. At least 11 people died and 47 were injured in the crowd surge as thousands of people lined the streets around the Chinnaswamy Stadium as the team's bus arrived. Bengaluru were celebrating their win over Punjab Kings in the final of the IPL's 18th edition, the world's richest T20 cricket league. The team had given away free passes for the event on their website but said that numbers would be limited. As the celebrations continued, some fans without passes tried to push through the gates while others climbed trees and the stadium wall for a better view. Images from the scene showed people climbing over each other. 'The unfortunate incident in Bengaluru yesterday has caused a lot of anguish and pain to the RCB family,' the team said in a statement on Thursday. At least 11 die in crowd chaos outside Indian cricket stadium 'As a mark of respect and a gesture of solidarity, RCB has announced a financial support of 10 lakh (one million) Indian Rupees to each of the 11 families of the deceased. 'In addition, a fund called RCB Cares is also being created to support fans injured in this tragic incident.' Karnataka State Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, who uses only one name, said the venue could not handle the size of the crowd, adding that the stadium's capacity was 35,000 but 200,000 to 300,000 people had turned up for the celebrations. 'In the wake of the tragic stampede during RCB's victory celebrations, the Karnataka Government will bear the full medical expenses of all those injured, whether admitted in government or private hospitals,' Siddaramaiah said in a statement on Thursday. 'Orders have been issued to the Health Department and Suvarna Arogya Suraksha Trust (SAST) to ensure this without delay.'
