Virat Kohli & Rohit Sharma might announce international retirement after Australia series: Manoj Tiwary [Exclusive]

Former India batter Manoj Tiwary believes that Virat Kohli retired from Test cricket ahead of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy because he was feeling disrespected in the Indian setup. The former Bengal skipper feels that Rohit Sharma could also bring the curtains down on his international career for the same reason, especially after being removed as the captain of the Indian team in 50-over cricket last week.

Tiwary opined that there was no need to replace Rohit with Shubman Gill as India's ODI skipper, as the Mumbai batter was already bringing success to the nation. Under Rohit's leadership, India won the T20 World Cup in 2024 and the Champions Trophy earlier this year.

Tiwary also shared his take on the notion that the current Indian team management does not want too many senior players in the setup, as they could have an influence on the decision-making.

1. You’ve said Rohit Sharma should retire after being sacked as a captain. Do you think this will also impact Virat Kohli?

It already has. Otherwise, why would Virat have left Test cricket? He had already started preparing mentally for the upcoming England series. But the environment, the situation around him in Indian cricket, made him feel unwanted. When a player, no matter how big he is, starts feeling that he’s not needed or respected, a player with self-respect and dignity will never continue.

That’s exactly why Virat quietly stepped away from Test cricket, not out of frustration, but out of self-respect. And if things continue the same way, I honestly think there’s a possibility that Rohit might also take that step in the future, not because he wants to, but because no great player should be made to stay where he feels disrespected.

2. Shubman Gill is now the captain in both Tests and ODIs. What do you think about his captaincy — is he going to lead India in all formats?

Look, there’s no rocket science in understanding this. From their statements, it’s quite clear, they don’t want different captains for different formats. That indirectly means they’re looking to make Shubman Gill the captain across all formats. But let’s keep that thought aside for a moment and ask, why make this change now? When you appoint someone as captain, the goal is to win matches and series. Rohit Sharma was already doing that consistently.

The team’s performance was solid, the results were coming, so what was the need for this change? After the kind of contribution both Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma have made for Indian cricket, if they’re being treated like this, it’s nothing short of disrespectful. I genuinely feel that very soon, both of them might decide to announce retirement, possibly after the Australia series.

3. Do you think the current coaching setup is getting rid of seniors because they fear the seniors’ influence on the team?

Sometimes, there has to be an “agree to disagree” moment. Seniors who have consistently contributed to the team’s performance will be picked. You know, many individuals can be quite egoistic.

They often feel that their perspective is the only right one, and because of that, conflicts or disagreements arise. This is natural. It happens with some individuals, especially senior players, and it’s not limited to a single team; it can happen across teams as well.