Former India chief selector Kris Srikkanth has been disappointed with the BCCI for not bidding a proper farewell to stalwarts like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Cheteshwar Pujara to test cricket.

He slammed the Indian board for lapses in communication, saying that BCCI did not communicate properly with Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma about their departures from the longest format.

The duo Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli announced their test retirements which literally shook the Indian cricketing fraternity as they were expected to tour England for the five-match test series.

Kohli and Rohit Sharma have sticked to BCCI’s directive to participate in a Ranji Trophy following the Australia tour. However, in the midst of the IPL, Rohit Sharma unexpectedly announced his test retirement via Instagram post.

Following his announcement, Virat Kohli also drawed curtain to his test career in a similar fashion. Srikkanth expressed disappointment that two of India’s modern greats were denied fitting send-offs despite their immense contributions.

The debate round proper farewells intensified with Cheteshwar Pujara’s recent retirement, once again highlighting concerns over how Indian stalwarts are treated.

“If you play 100 Tests for your country, you must be a terrific cricketer. So you should be given a good send-off. I am convinced there was a big communication gap when Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma retired. They should have spoken to them, but instead, this is not a good look for the game and Indian cricket,” said Srikkanth said on his YouTube channel.

“Virat Kohli’s retirement happened just like that. Virat Kohli deserved a better send-off. He still had two years of Test cricket left in him. But because we drew in England, such talks about him got shut off. However, India will find it difficult to get a cricketer like Virat Kohli for some time,” he added.

Virat Kohli‘s test career spanned 14 years and has played 123 matches, during which he scored 9230 runs at an average of 46.85 including 30 centuries and seven double hundred.

He is just 770 runs short of 10,000 run mark cementing his legacy as one of India’s greatest batters.

On the other hand, Rohit Sharma has played 67 tests with 4301 runs in 67 tests at an average of 40.57 including 12 centuries. He replaced Virat Kohli as captain in March 2022 and over his tenure, guided India to 12 wins, nine losses, and three draws, while scoring 1254 runs.

Srikkanth also highlighted that Pujara retired without a farewell test. “Similarly with Pujara, though it’s been a while since he played for India, they should have spoken to him also about his retirement plans,” added Srikkanth.

“Of course, the player also has to cooperate and realise when their time is up. Had that happened, Pujara would have got a better send-off. But it’s a matter of cooperation between the player, selectors and the BCCI,” concluded Srikkanth.