Test cricket will not be same without you: Rayudu pleads with Kohli to continue playing the format

New Delhi, May 10 Former India cricketer Ambati Rayudu has requested talismanic batter Virat Kohli to reconsider his reported decision to retire from Test cricket.

On Saturday, IANS reported that Kohli has communicated to the BCCI his desire to retire from Test cricket ahead of the important five-match series in England, starting on June 20. But the BCCI had urged the former India captain and the team's most experienced batter to reconsider his decision, citing the important assignments up ahead in the format, including the England tour.

Rayudu believes the team will not be the same without Kohli’s massive presence.

"Virat Kohli, please don’t retire. The Indian team needs you more than ever. You have so much more in the tank. Test cricket will not be the same without you walking out to battle it out for Team India.. Please reconsider," wrote Rayudu in his post on social media.

India’s five-match Test tour of England also marks the start of a new World Test Championship (WTC) cycle for them, with captain Rohit Sharma stepping away from the longest format. Kohli, who captained India in 68 Tests, is India’s most successful skipper in the format.

"There’s significant cricket left in Virat Kohli. For the sake of the Indian team, I hope he continues playing the format. Nobody has championed the cause of Test cricket more than him in the current times, and we can’t let such an ambassador of the game walk away soon #ViratKohli," posted Gujarat opener Priyank Panchal on ‘X’

Since his debut in the format in 2011, Kohli has played 123 Tests, amassing 9230 runs at an average of 46.85. But if Kohli goes ahead with his plans to retire from Tests, then India will be woefully short of experience on their Test tour of England in the absence of him and Rohit.

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