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India are without one of their key players, Virat Kohli, for the crucial tour of England. The former Indian captain stepped away from Test cricket ahead of the team selection for the series. Although Virat appeared prepared for the England tour—having played in a Ranji Trophy match following the 2024/25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy—he stunned the cricketing world by announcing his retirement from red-ball cricket.
Ahead of the England series, cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar shared his thoughts on Virat’s decision in an interview. The Master Blaster remarked, “It’s a personal decision. It’s easy for outsiders to pass casual remarks and say he shouldn't have done this or that. But only the individual truly understands their mindset and how their body is coping with the demands of the longer format. So, it wouldn’t be appropriate for me to comment further.”
Virat had earlier retired from T20 internationals after leading India to victory in the 2024 World Cup and is now focusing solely on ODIs. Just a week before Kohli’s announcement, Rohit Sharma also stepped away from Test cricket. Rohit captained India during the Australia tour but opted out of the fifth Test.
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Tendulkar emphasized that every player puts in immense effort to be ready for big challenges. He expressed confidence in the Indian squad, now under the leadership of Shubman Gill, saying they have the "firepower" to take on England.
“That’s what players train for — to handle tough situations. I believe the team has the strength to deal with whatever England throws at them. We’ve got experienced players like KL Rahul, Jadeja, Bumrah. Rishabh Pant and Shubman Gill have gained solid experience. Karun Nair has international exposure and has played a lot of first-class and county cricket. Then there's Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sai Sudharsan — they’ve shown great promise. I think we’re well prepared. It should be a tightly contested series,” he concluded.
