Clarke hints at Kohli’s comeback should India falter big in England series

Former Australia captain Michael Clarke believes that Virat Kohli could come out of Test retirement if Team India suffers a heavy defeat in the five-match series against England.

Last month, Virat announced his retirement from Test cricket. Having represented India in 123 Test matches, the right-hander amassed 9,230 runs, including 30 centuries.

“I believe this. If India go to England and get flogged, if they lose the series 5-0 for example, I think the fans will want Virat Kohli to come out of retirement and play Test cricket again,” Clarke told the Beyond23 Cricket podcast.

“And I honestly, I think if he was asked by the captain, selectors and supported by fans, if they get beaten big time in England, I think he`ll come. He still loves Test cricket,” added the veteran of 115 Test matches.

Recently, after Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s IPL 2025 win, Kohli said that T20 cricket is still five levels below Test cricket. Speaking about Kohli’s words, Clarke said, “I think those words showed his passion for Test cricket is real.”

The Australian also spoke about Rohit Sharma’s retirement from the longest format.

“Rohit Sharma retires from Test cricket. I think tactically any team will miss his captaincy. I think tactically he was a brilliant captain. Virat Kohli walks away from test cricket. Devastating! What an absolute champion he`s been and test cricket will miss him,” Clarke said.

Following Rohit’s retirement, Shubman Gill has been appointed as Team India’s new Test captain.

India will begin the five-match series against England on June 20 at Headingley. The second Test is scheduled for July 2 at Edgbaston, followed by the third on July 10 at Lord’s. The fourth Test will take place at Old Trafford from July 23, while the final match of the series is set for July 31 at The Oval.

India`s Test squad for England series: Shubman Gill (c), Rishabh Pant (vc), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Karun Nair, Nitish Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel, Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav.

This article first appeared on Mid Day