On May 7, 2025, India captain Rohit Sharma announced his retirement from Test cricket. Virat Kohli did the same on May 12th. In five days, India lost the experience of nearly 200 Test matches and a truckload of memories. It's always an emotional blow when players of the stature of Kohli and Rohit decide to say goodbye. Couldn't they have carried on for a little longer? At least till this upcoming WTC cycle? The disappointments give rise to obvious questions.

And then comes the pain of realising not to be able to see them grace the whites again. Just like Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman, Zaheer and a few other greats of Indian cricket, Rohit and Kohli did not get a farewell match. A social media post does little to serve as a proper goodbye. But once the emotions settle, one begins to think practically.

How much cricket did Rohit and Kohli have in their tanks? Rohit was 38, Kohli was 36. Kohli's fitness standards are unquestioned, but one does have to look at the future in a nation like India, where there is no shortage of batting talent. Former India bowling coach Paras Mhambrey said Kohli and Rohit did not have five years of Test cricket left in them, and they knew that.