NEW DELHI: The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) drew flak after Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma abruptly announced their retirements from Test cricket in May. Questions were raised about the manner in which both stalwarts bid farewell, as they did not even get a chance to say goodbye in front of their fans.
The disappointment was not limited to fans - teammate Ravi Bishnoi also expressed his shock at the timing of when both legends decided to hang up their boots. The duo had previously retired from T20Is in June last year, shortly after India's T20 World Cup victory in Barbados.
"It is actually shocking, because you always want to see them retire from the field. For such big legends, you want them to leave while still being on the field, that looks much better. And what both of them have done for India, in my view, there is no one even close," Bishnoi said on Game Changers podcast.
The young leg-spinner emphasised that while fans hope for a proper farewell, the players might still receive recognition when they retire from ODIs, as retirement timing is personal.
"You want them to get a good farewell, but maybe they will get that in ODIs as well whenever they leave, whenever they want to. Because no one can tell you when you will retire. But it was shocking when both of them retired, because suddenly you feel like two spots have become empty, who will come and fulfill that?" he added.
Rohit reportedly successfully cleared the newly introduced bronco test at the BCCI Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru, paving the way for his participation in the upcoming ODI series against Australia.
