Can India Take Fresh Guard In England?

With question marks lingering over Kohli's future, England tour could see a new look side come June 20th

- GOMESH S @ Chennai

ON a rainy Tuesday evening on December 18, the press conference room at The Gabba was filled with an air of suspense. India had held on to a draw in a rain-affected third Test. In the midst of all this, murmurs had spread that a senior India player was about to quit.

Soon after, R Ashwin made a statement announcing his retirement from internationals. In that same press conference, Rohit Sharma suggested that there would be no other retirements for the time being. However, fewer than five months later, Sharma himself announced his retirement from Tests on May 7. On Friday night, it emerged that Virat Kohli was also planning to retire from Tests and had conveyed his decision to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). The Board, it was reported, have asked him to reconsider his decision.

Considering Kohli had refuted any sign of retirement talk only two months ago at a chat in a Royal Challengers Bengaluru event, what changed? Only on March 15, the former India captain had said: "Me playing is not for achievement," he had said. "It's for the joy, enjoyment and love for the game. As long as that is intact, I will continue to play. I have to be honest about that with myself... at this point of time in my life, I feel pretty happy. I still love playing the game."