Latest news with #DelhiRanjiTrophy
Mint
18-05-2025
- Sport
- Mint
Sourav Ganguly breaks silence on Virat Kohli's sudden Test retirement: ‘I am surprised'
Former India captain Sourav Ganguly has reacted to the sudden Test retirement of Virat Kohli and called him a fantastic cricketer. Kohli had bid adieu to the longest format of the cricket on 12 May, leaving the whole cricketing world in shock. Speaking to the reporters on Saturday (as quoted by PTI), Ganguly said, "Retirement is a personal decision. It is his decision to retire. It has been a fantastic career and Virat Kohli has been a fantastic cricketer, and so has been Rohit Sharma... His decision has surprised me." Asked if he was surprised by the retirement call made by Kohli, given the batter was at his peak form, Ganguly said, 'I am surprised' Just days earlier, Delhi Ranji Trophy coach Sarandeep Singh had also expressed shock at Kohli's sudden retirement decision. Sarandeep Singh revealed he did not expect Kohli to make such a move, especially after his active participation in Delhi's Ranji matches earlier this year. 'When I heard the news this morning about Virat Kohli announcing his retirement, this was a big surprise for me,' the Delhi coach said while talking to JioHotstar. "I asked him if he would play a couple of County Cricket matches before the England tour. He said, 'No Paaji, I am looking to play India A matches. Two India A matches where I will prepare for the Test series.' He had a settled plan. Suddenly, seeing him end his red-ball career is surprising. He doesn't have any fitness issues, no form issues," Sarandeep added. Kohli ended his Test career with 210 innings from 123 matches for India where he scored 9,230 runs and became the fourth highest run-getter for the Indian team. He has smashed 30 hundreds and 31 fifties in the format and has the highest score of 254*.
Indian Express
17-05-2025
- Sport
- Indian Express
Will Virat Kohli play for English county Middlesex?
The report points out how while Kohli announced his retirement from Tests, he didn't mention anything about retiring from first-class cricket. Alan Coleman, director of cricket at Middlesex, is quoted as saying: 'Virat Kohli is the most iconic player of his generation, so of course we are interested in having that conversation.' It notes that Kohli could play either 'county championship or one-day cup'. Middlesex have used the lure of Lord's cricket ground, their home arena, to attract big-name players in the past. South Africa's AB de Villiers turned up for the T20 Blast in 2019, and they have signed up New Zealand's Kane Williamson for the second half of this season to play for the team London Spirit. The Guardian reports that both those deals came with collaboration with MCC and has a line about how they handle the payments. 'Officials there (MCC) have indicated they would be happy to similarly split the cost of any deal for Kohli'. Their hope seems to be that Kohli will love to play at Lord's again, popularly called as the 'home of cricket' and will take the plunge. If Kohli does indeed play red-ball cricket in England, there is a possibility he might play against Lancashire's Jimmy Anderson at the end of the season. When he retired, former selector Sarandeep Singh was quoted by JioStar on how Kohli had told him his wish to play the England series. ''This morning when I heard this news that Virat Kohli has announced his retirement. This was a big surprise for me,' explained Singh. 'And as far as we were talking about the Delhi Ranji Trophy, the way he was playing the matches, 4-5 days before that, we started talking to him about the matches he wants to play. He showed his involvement. The way he started his preparation for the red ball, he was talking about how the Australia tour would have been, but he was preparing for the England tour, how we would win the Test match series. But suddenly, now we see that the person who was ready to go to England will not be going to England. That announcement that has been made today, I think everyone is shocked,' Singh had said. Former Australian captain Aaron Finch too had spoken on the issue on JioStar ahead of the IPL game between RCB and KKR. 'I think it caught everybody by surprise. I think we all thought that England was one huge push for him to try and make that a really memorable series, particularly after the disappointment of Australia at home.'
India.com
14-05-2025
- Sport
- India.com
Delhi Ranji coach Sarandeep Singh shows surprise over Virat Kohli's Test retirement, says 'he was preparing for England tour'
Virat Kohli. New Delhi: Delhi's Ranji cricket coach, Sarandeep Singh, expressed surprise at Virat Kohli's retirement from Test cricket, contrasting it with his expectations following Kohli's recent Ranji Trophy participation. Kohli's Test career concluded after 123 matches, leaving him just short of 10,000 runs. He retires as India's fourth highest Test run-scorer. On JioCinema, Singh stated that Virat Kohli's announcement regarding his departure surprised him, despite recent speculation. 'This morning when I heard this news that Virat Kohli has announced his retirement. This was a big surprise for me,' explained Singh. 'And as far as we were talking about the Delhi Ranji Trophy, the way he was playing the matches, 4-5 days before that, we started talking to him about the matches he wants to play. He showed his involvement.' According to Singh, Kohli's subdued performance in Australia created pressure, suggesting increased motivation for the upcoming England tour in June and July. 'The way he started his preparation for the red ball, he was talking about how the Australia tour would have been, but he was preparing for the England tour, how we would win the Test match. But suddenly, now we see that the person who was ready to go to England will not be going to England. That announcement that has been made today, I think everyone is shocked,' explained the Delhi coach. 'I didn't even get to hear it from him. I was talking to him a few days ago, I was talking to him on messages, but I didn't get any such intention that he is thinking about something like this,' explained Singh. 'And the way he is going to the IPL, he is making runs and is in great form.' Kohli's intense training regimen, which included participation in India A's tour matches, suggests he was meticulously preparing for the upcoming England tour, commencing June 20th in Leeds. Singh highlighted this focused preparation. 'I had asked him if he would play county cricket after this. He said, no, brother, I want to play matches for India A. He said he would play two matches for India A, and then I will prepare for the Test match. He said he wants to score 3-4 hundreds, just like the 2018 tour,' explained Singh. 'So he was planning to play for India A. But suddenly, I heard that he was not playing. This is surprising.' Virat Kohli will focus solely on One Day International (ODI) cricket for India, following his 2024 T20I retirement announcement. Prior to that, he will prioritize leading the Royal Challengers Bangalore in their pursuit of an IPL championship.
Mint
13-05-2025
- Sport
- Mint
Virat Kohli's shocking exit from Tests stuns coach Sarandeep Singh, asserts 'He was preparing for England'; what he said
Virat Kohli's retirement announcement from Test cricket on Monday (12 May) has come as a surprise for everyone. Delhi Ranji Trophy coach Sarandeep Singh who recently interacted with the star batter expressed his shock over the decision, especially given the batter's recent involvement in red-ball cricket with Ranji stint. Sarandeep Singh revealed he did not expect Kohli to make such a move, especially after his active participation in Delhi's Ranji matches earlier this year. 'When I heard the news this morning about Virat Kohli announcing his retirement, this was a big surprise for me,' expressed Singh while speaking on JioHotstar. Talking about the Ranji Trophy, he added, "We started talking about the matches he wants to play. He showed his involvement.' Singh noted that Kohli seemed completely focused on his game in the Test format and even discussed plans for the upcoming England series. According to Singh, Kohli had already started working towards a strong showing in England and was aiming to prepare through India A matches. 'He was preparing for the England tour, how we would win the Test match," Sandeep said. "But suddenly, now we see that the person who was ready to go to England will not be going to England," Singh further added. Singh also mentioned that he had been in touch with Kohli recently but did not sense anything unusual. 'I didn't get to hear about the retirement from him even when I was talking to him a few days ago. I was talking to him through messages, but I didn't get any such intention that he was thinking about something like this,' explained Singh. Singh shared more about their recent conversation, revealing Kohli's intent to play India A matches to gear up for the Tests. 'I had asked him if he would play county cricket after this. He said, 'no, brother, I want to play matches for India A.' He also said after playing two matches for India A, he would prepare Tests" said Sandeep. "He wanted to score three to four hundreds, just like the 2018 tour,' he added. Kohli's sudden retirement announcement has left many puzzled especially those who saw him prepare intensely for the red-ball format. Kohli ended his Test career with 210 innings for India, scoring 9,230 runs. He has smashed 30 hundreds and 31 fifties in the format and has the highest score of 254*. The 36-year-old is the fourth-highest run-scorer for India in red-ball cricket.
Hindustan Times
12-05-2025
- Sport
- Hindustan Times
Virat Kohli was preparing for England tour, his retirement is 'shocking': 'He said, I'll play 2 India A matches...'
Delhi Ranji cricket coach Sarandeep Singh weighed in on Virat Kohli's retirement from Tests, expressing his surprise given what he thought the batter's future would be in the wake of his brief Ranji stint earlier this year. Kohli brought the curtain down after playing 123 Tests for India. The batter finishes his Test career with 770 runs short of the 10,000 mark. He ends his career as the fourth-highest run-scorer for India, only behind Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and Sunil Gavaskar. Speaking on JioStar, Singh explained how he was caught unaware by Kohli's announcement, despite rumours in recent days regarding Kohli's decision. 'This morning when I heard this news that Virat Kohli has announced his retirement. This was a big surprise for me,' explained Singh. 'And as far as we were talking about the Delhi Ranji Trophy, the way he was playing the matches, 4-5 days before that, we started talking to him about the matches he wants to play. He showed his involvement.' Singh explained how Kohli's relatively quiet series in Australia was a pressure point for the batter, leading the coach to believe that he will be extra motivated to perform in England in June-July this year. 'The way he started his preparation for the red ball, he was talking about how the Australia tour would have been, but he was preparing for the England tour, how we would win the Test match. But suddenly, now we see that the person who was ready to go to England will not be going to England. That announcement that has been made today, I think everyone is shocked,' explained the Delhi coach. 'I didn't even get to hear it from him. I was talking to him a few days ago, I was talking to him on messages, but I didn't get any such intention that he is thinking about something like this,' explained Singh. 'And the way he is going to the IPL, he is making runs and is in great form.' Singh also provided context that Kohli was seemingly geared towards strong preparation for the England tour, including being involved in India A's tour games ahead of the series proper beginning on June 20 in Leeds. 'I had asked him if he would play county cricket after this. He said, no, brother, I want to play matches for India A. He said he would play two matches for India A, and then I will prepare for the Test match,' explained Singh. 'So he was planning to play for India A. But suddenly, I heard that he was not playing. This is surprising.' Kohli's decision means he will now only represent India in ODI cricket, having announced his T20I retirement in 2024. Before that, he will play a central role in trying to help Royal Challengers Bengaluru win their first IPL title.
