According to a report Kohli had originally planned to announce his retirement on May 7-the same day Rohit Sharma bid farewell to the format
Rohit, Virat Kohli, along with Shubman Gill, Rishabh Pant, KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer, and Yashasvi Jaiswal were among the first to touch down, setting the stage for what promises to be an exciting series.
Star batter Shubman Gill was on Saturday named captain of the Indian Test squad for the upcoming five-match away series against England, signaling the start of a new era in Indian red-ball cricket.
Skipper Suryakumar Yadav would want the attacking batter in him to front up and bolster his leadership against New Zealand when the five-match T20I series gets underway in Nagpur on Wednesday, serving as a final dress rehearsal for India's World Cup title defence in less than three weeks' time.
Prolific Pakistan batsman Babar Azam wants to achieve the "legend" status that Virat Kohli has acquired but concedes that despite the oft-repeated comparisons, he is still some time away from getting anywhere close to the Indian captain. The 24-year-old, who is a self-confessed fan of Kohli, spoke about his aspiration to emulate the World's No.1 Test and ODI batsman.
'It is humanly impossible to sustain at the level at which he was playing between 2014 and 2019.' 'The dip had to come.'
'Congratulations on an incredibly inspirational Test career and thank you for the memories Champ! @virat.kohli.'
Temba Bavuma, who led South Africa to their maiden ICC World Test Championship title and a historic 2-0 series sweep in India, also made the cut, while four Australian players were included.
The once familiar sight of nimble-footed, whippywristed Indian batters dominating spin looks a distant memory, replaced by the horror of watching South Africa off-spinner Simon Harmer wreak havoc by taking 17 wickets over the two Tests.
The Indian team's heavy reliance on all-rounders will be tested by a plucky Australia in the second ODI but the spotlight will continue to stay firmly on Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, both of whom would look to turn back the clock with series-saving knocks in Adelaide on Thursday.
India will miss Virat Kohli more than Rohit Sharma in the marquee Test series against England and the duo's recent retirement from the format will "hurt" the transitioning team's chances in the rubber starting on Friday, reckons the legendary Geoffrey Boycott.
India have been served well by Shreyas Iyer in ODIs at No. 4 but with the Mumbai batter unavailable due to injury, the team management entrusted Gaikwad with the job to build the innings and he did it with aplomb, hitting his maiden century in the second ODI against South Africa on Wednesday.
Renowned sand artist Sudarsan Pattnaik created a 5 foot high sculpture of Virat Kohli using around four tons of sand.
'Dhoni is a very cool captain. But he was also very happy and was enjoying that moment.'
'I wanted people to know me for who I am, because a lot of times, Ashwin's picking up a wicket and Virat Kohli is all over the place.'
'He's just jumping about, and people very often tend to believe that Ashwin's the one that's absolutely serious and Virat's the one that's having all the fun.'
India's newly-appointed ODI skipper Shubman Gill on Thursday said senior stars Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli remain a part of the team's 2027 World Cup plans as their skill levels and voluminous experience cannot be ignored.
Cummins remains a doubtful for the Ashes opener at Perth starting on November 21 but Marsh is among the players who would be in fray for selection for the opening Test of the five-match series.
'The entire team started working on the fitness, and at the same time, Virat paid a lot of attention to the Test format, and he wanted the team to be one of the best in the world.'
Sanju Samson's T20I future took another hit on Tuesday as India benched him yet again, favouring the finishing skills of Jitesh Sharma in a team that now appears fully committed to its Shubman Gill-led blueprint.
Kuldeep was instrumental to India's success at the Asia Cup, topping the wicket-taking chart with 17 wickets. Chopra explained the rationale behind dropping the left-arm wrist spinner, attributing it to batting depth.
Test cricket would have been a "far blander place" without Kohli: Vaughan
Former pace bowler Ajit Agarkar said that the biggest challenge for new India captain Rohit Sharma will be to maintain his fitness and play every game till next year's ODI World Cup.
India's batting sensation Virat Kohli on Tuesday confessed he regrets crossing the line on a few occasions on the cricket field and hinted that that, in hindsight, he probably might have not done it.
Dinesh Karthik has likened the captains of India and New Zealand with fire and ice respectively.
Rohit Sharma became the second-fastest to the milestone, achieving it in just 261 innings-surpassed only by Virat Kohli, who got there in 222 innings.
Virat Kohli has built such a formidable brand across the spectrum that even his occasional brash and indiscreet comments fail to tarnish it.
Virat Kohli finally led India in a One-Day International, the third match of Tri-Nation Series against Sri Lanka, as M S Dhoni was ruled out of the tournament after hurting his hamstring during India's first game against the West Indies.
Shubman Gill's aggressive behaviour during the Lord's Test came as a surprise to many, including former Australia captain Ricky Ponting.
Rohit and Kohli endured a rocky start to the Australia tour with Rohit managing just 8 and 73 in two innings, while Kohli recorded two ducks.
Spin great Ravichandran Ashwin praised Rohit Sharma's remarkable transformation after he surpassed Shahid Afridi's record for the most sixes in ODIs.
'Many would end their successful international careers with a 1/4 of what he's achieved.'
'I was constantly under the microscope. Eventually, I had to ask myself if I was still happy. If I wanted to continue, I needed to find that joy again.'
With no ODI series in Australia in the next two years, it is impossible to think that the legendary duo will again be seen Down Under in India blues.
Kohli, who has played three editions of the 50-over event in 2009, 2013 (when India won) and 2017, likened the tournament to the fast-paced T20 World Cup.
'He is explosive, dangerous, and capable of shots like these. Where do you even bowl to him?'
India might have lost the inaugural ICC World Test Championship against New Zealand but former all-rounder Mohinder Amarnath believes skipper Virat Kohli has done a 'fantastic job' and it is important that he continues to lead the squad.
Mohammed Siraj has revealed the close bonding he shares with Test captain Shubman Gill, highlighting both their on-field and off-field camaraderie.
India skipper KL Rahul said his side needed to be sharper in key moments but felt the toss played a decisive role in the home team's four-wicket loss to South Africa in the second ODI, in Raipur, on Tuesday.
All-rounder Cameron Green will miss the three-match ODI series against India due to side soreness.
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