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Kohli communicated his decision to the BCCI a few days ago and is unlikely to be available for the five-match Test series in England.

However, a senior BCCI official has spoken to Virat Kohli, urging him to reconsider his decision. Kohli’s announcement comes just days after captain Rohit Sharma retired from Test cricket with immediate effect. Both Kohli and Rohit had earlier stepped away from T20Is following India’s World Cup triumph in Barbados last year.

This significant development comes just ahead of the selection committee meeting to finalise the squad for the Test series in England, which will also mark the start of a new World Test Championship cycle for India. BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia had earlier told India Today that the squad for the Test tour would be selected before the last week of May.

If Kohli also decides to retire before the England tour, the Indian Test team will be without considerable experience in the batting unit, which will then depend on the likes of Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul and Shubman Gill to deliver the goods.