'Baton not passed but thrown...': Yograj Singh rips into Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma for untimely Test retirements; namedrops Yuvraj Singh

Former Indian cricket player Yograj Singh, the father of the iconic all-rounder Yuvraj Singh has criticized modern batting legends Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma ahead of the upcoming Test series against England. Yograj Singh expressed his discontent with Kohli and Sharma for their premature retirement from Test cricket just before the series, arguing that they still had five more years of play left in them. Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli made their retirement from the longest format of the game public in May right before India's tour of England in 2025.

Both players took to Instagram to share their retirement news. Rohit Sharma announced his decision on May 7, 2025, followed by Virat Kohli, who confirmed his retirement on May 12, 2025.

In his Test career, Rohit accumulated 4301 runs across 67 matches, maintaining an average of 40.57, and had a commendable tenure as captain. Conversely, Kohli participated in 123 Test matches, amassing 9230 runs at an average of 46.85. Virat Kohli's tenure as Test captain was remarkable, earning him a place among the greatest Test captains in history.

The departures of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli have created a significant gap in the Indian team which will now be led by the inexperienced Shubman Gill as they face the England team in a five-match Test series.

In the meantime, Yograj Singh has expressed his dissatisfaction with the early retirements of Rohit and Kohli from Test cricket. He believes that they should have continued playing for an additional five years, and their abrupt retirements have placed undue pressure on Shubman Gill.

"Virat and Rohit shouldn’t have retired from Tests. I told Rohit to get up at 5 AM and run for 20 km to keep himself fit. Virat and Rohit can still play for another 5 years in Test cricket. They should have played," Yograj told InsideSport.

"They should be there to see that the baton is passed to the youngsters. The baton has not been passed, it has been thrown to Gill," he added.

Yograj Singh expressed his disappointment regarding his son Yuvraj Singh's retirement from international cricket, wishing he would have continued for several more years. He stated: "Even when Yuvraj was retiring I promised him that I will help him become India captain and that we will throw everybody out but he quit."

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