Ex-Opener Says India Missed Virat Kohli In England: If I were The Selector, Id Have...

Sports Cricket

Posted by AI on 2025-08-11 08:16:31 | Last Updated by AI on 2026-02-13 16:59:39

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Former India cricketer Dilip Vengsarkar has said that the absence of Virat Kohli for the one-day international series against England was a big miss, and that the selectors should have allowed the star batsman to retire after the Test series.

The recent three-match ODI series between India and England saw the hosts suffer a clean sweep at the hands of the Ben Stokes-led side. While the results highlighted India's dominant ODI woes continues,Dilip Vengsarkar, a former India cricketer, believes the absence of veteran batsman Virat Kohli weighed heavily on the visitors' performance.

Speaking to Times of India, Vengsarkar, who amassed more than 100 Test appearances for India, shared his thoughts on Kohli's absence from the ODI series, claiming that the player himself would have preferred to hang up his boots after the Test series.

"If I were the selector, I would have definitely retained Virat Kohli for the ODIs because in the last 10-15 overs, you need someone like him. And if the management had asked him to retire after the England Test series, it would have been the perfect farewell for him as well," said Vengsarkar.

The former opener also emphasized the importance of having Kohli available for the upcoming ODI World Cup, which is set to take place in India this year. "If he is fit and available for the World Cup, use him in the No. 4 or 5 position. Currently, India doesn't have a settled No. 4. So, if Virat Kohli is available for the World Cup, he can play at No. 4 and Shivam Dube can be given a chance to settle in case of an injury to any batter."

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