At the start of May, the cricket world witnessed two biggest retirements of Indian Cricket from the Test Format- Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. Rohit declared his retirement on 7th May and Virat on 12th May before the 5-test series of the England tour. Both declared retirement from the T20 format together in the T20 World Cup 2024 after winning the title against South Africa at Barbados.
5 Shocking and contrasting stats of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma in Test Format
1. Debuts Test Against West Indies Following Historic ICC Successes
Both Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli began their Test careers on a great note, debuting shortly after winning ICC tournaments. Virat Kohli’s match to earn his Test cap was at Kingston against West Indies in 2011, not long after India won the ODI World Cup.
Rohit Sharma received his Test cap in November 2013, against the West Indies, after India won the 2013 Champions Trophy. These debuts symbolized a new era in Indian cricket, starting strong after global success.
2. Final Home Test at Mumbai’s Iconic Wankhede Stadium
Another poetic coincidence in the lives of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli is that both played their last home Test at the iconic Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.
This is where the 2011 ODI World Cup Final was played. This is also where Sachin Tendulkar played in his farewell Test. This is also where Sachin Tendulkar played in his farewell Test.
It was also the venue of Sachin Tendulkar’s farewell Test. In November 2024, Wankhede added to its milestones, watching the last home Test appearance of both today’s legends against New Zealand. What more appropriate venue to say goodbye to than a stadium replete with Indian cricket history?
3. Both Recorded Single-Digit Scores in Their Last Test Innings
Even cricket legends have bad days. In their farewell Test matches, both Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli could not leave an impression with the bat:
Rohit Sharma was out for 3 and 9 in the 2024 Boxing Day Test at the MCG, both times by Pat Cummins. Virat Kohli could muster only 6 runs in his last innings at the SCG, getting out to Scott Boland. These low scores are a modest reminder of the capricious nature of the game, even for the best of players.
4. Bangladesh: A Shared Misfortune for Both Batting Maestros
Despite their remarkable Test history, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma have a common, uncommon failure neither has managed to score a half-century in Bangladesh.
Virat Kohli played three Tests in Bangladesh with a highest score of only 24. Rohit Sharma played one Test and managed just 6 runs. Bangladesh is the sole nation where no star has ever scored more than 50 runs in Tests.
5. First Test Win as Captains Came Against Sri Lanka
Leadership seemed to come automatically to both Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, and strangely enough, both won their first Test captaincy victories over the same opponent, Sri Lanka.
Virat Kohli won his initial full-time captaincy victory in 2015. Rohit Sharma began his Test captaincy journey with a 2-0 series win in 2022.
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