DRS, May 13: The fallout of a failed bid to defend the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia has come to an end. But the cost has been great. It is Test cricket’s loss as the talisman Virat Kohli has announced his retirement. Ravichandran Ashwin was the first wicket to fall in Australia. Then, Rohit Sharma called it quits and now Kohli. However, unlike the two others, Kohli was the de facto ambassador of Test cricket. And perhaps, more influential than Sachin Tendulkar, as Greg Chappell put it.
In other news, the BCCI has announced the IPL 2025 revised fixtures. The abandoned PBKS vs DC match will be replayed on May 24. The tournament, which was suspended following escalating tensions between India and Pakistan, will resume on May 17. Pakistan Cricket Board is also preparing to resume PSL 2025 in Pakistan after failing to shift the matches sto the UAE.
Virat Kohli retires
After 123 matches, 210 innings and 14 years later, Virat Kohli announced his Test retirement ahead of India’s tour of England. While fans and former cricketers are still coming to terms with his “sudden” announcement, it was coming. Kohli’s post-pandemic era was not the same. While many believe it was a forced retirement and he could continue for one more Test cycle, Kohli had different ideas. He scored 9230 runs, 30 centuries and 31 half-centuries at an average of 46.85 in his Test career. While his stats are decent and not the greatest, it was his impact as the captain that people would remember. He made Team India a world-beater with a 58.82% winning percentage. Kohli, however, will continue to play ODIs. His next India assignment is still undecided as India are unlikely to play Bangladesh.
IPL 2025 to resume on May 17
With the tensions between India and Pakistan easing, the BCCI has announced a revised schedule for IPL 2025. Six cities — Delhi, Jaipur, Bengaluru, Ahmedabad, Lucknow and Mumbai will host the remaining 13 league matches. The final of the tournament will be played on June 3. However, BCCI did not announce the venues for the playoffs. IPL will resume with the RCB vs KKR match in Bengaluru on May 17.
- League stage: May 17-27
- Qualifier 1: May 29
- Eliminator: May 30
- Qualifier 2: June 1
- Final June 3
Gautam Gambhir new King
With Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli both retiring from Test and T20Is, there is a power vacuum in the India Cricket Team. As Shubman Gill and Rishabh Pant are yet to achieve the superstar status, India’s head coach Gautam Gambhir is now the new King of Indian cricket. He will command the team with hardly anyone to oppose his decisions in the dressing room. No previous coach had such power before. The last one was Greg Chappell, who demanded such power. But he was sacked by the BCCI following a string of poor performances, including World Cup 2007. Now, all eyes will be on Gambhir. Can he uplift the team without its heroes?
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DRS, May 13: Virat Kohli retires from Test cricket; BCCI announces revised IPL 2025 fixtures
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More influential than Tendulkar: Chappell
Former India coach and Australia captain wrote a befitting column for Virat Kohli. In his column on ESPN Cricinfo, he called Kohli more influential than Sachin Tendulkar. Kohli ensured India is a great team fitness-wise and fast-bowling-wise. “It closes the chapter on the most transformative figure in Indian cricket since Sachin Tendulkar; perhaps Kohli even eclipses him in terms of cultural influence and psychological impact on India’s cricketing identity,” Chappell wrote.
PBKS vs DC to be replayed
Punjab Kings pacer Arshdeep Singh announced that the PBKS vs DC match will be replayed. The PBKS vs DC match was abandoned after 10.1 overs due to security reasons amid escalating tensions between India and Pakistan. Now, BCCI has confirmed that instead of abandoning the match, it will be replayed on May 24 in Jaipur. There will be no matches in Punjab and Dharamsala. Instead, PBKS will play their remaining three games in Jaipur.
PSL 2025 to resume
With India and Pakistan de-escalating tensions at the border, the Pakistan Cricket Board is also preparing to resume PSL 2025. PCB suspended PSL with eight matches to go. While PCB announced that it would shift all the remaining games to the UAE, that plan failed as the authorities rejected the proposal. Instead, PSL will be played in Pakistan. PCB is now scrambling to get the foreign players back. However, if some of them don’t come back, it will still be completed. PCB is yet to announce a date of resumption, but it is likely to be around May 16-17, like IPL.
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