"Virat Kohli doesn't need us, we need him": When star India player spoke about the former captain's importance to the Indian team

The world of Indian cricket was taken aback on Saturday morning as reports emerged that batting talisman Virat Kohli had informed the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) about his intention to retire from Test cricket. The 36-year-old debuted in the longest format in 2011 and has amassed 9230 runs in 123 Tests at 46.85.

Underlying Kohli's importance to the Indian side, fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah had said in November 2024 that it was the Indian cricket team who needed Kohli, than the other way around.

"I have said this before, Virat Kohli doesn't need us, we need him. He is an experienced player. This is his fourth or fifth tour. So he knows his cricket better than anyone else. He looked in good shape, he was mentally switched on.

"Sometimes when you have such a long career, you bat in tough conditions and he has batted in tough scenarios for a long time, but it's difficult to do that all the time in every match," Bumrah had said during the first India-Australia Test match in Perth (via ESPN Cricinfo).

Virat Kohli's retirement intention follows Rohit Sharma's decision to quit Tests

Virat Kohli's intention to retire from Test cricket comes a few days after his long-time teammate Rohit Sharma announced his retirement from the longest form of the game. The decision has left India searching for a new Test captain and for a new opening partner to walk out to bat Yashasvi Jaiswal at the top of the order.

Sharma took over from Kohli as India's Test match captain in February 2022 and led India in 24 Tests, winning 12 of those matches. However, only one of those wins came overseas when India beat South Africa by seven wickets to record their first Test win in Newlands in Cape Town in January 2024.