The elite five-match Test series between two greatest cricket rivals, Australia and India, is set to kick off on November 22. Known as the Border Gavaskar Trophy, the forthcoming series will have India coming on the back of a humiliating defeat against New Zealand. On the other hand, Australia will aim to get their hands on the trophy for the first time since 2014-15. Australia ride high on confidence and India will aim to get back to the game to solidify their chances to make it to the WTC Final 2023-25.
While teams and pundits are excited for the ultimate showdown, the fact that both the teams are filled with several veterans, there have been several questions now buzzing. Could the upcoming tournament be the final time a few senior players don whites for their respective nations? Age factor for some and form slump for others could be the reason a few names might call it quits from long-form cricket and allow youngsters to move ahead.
Five players who could retire after Border Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25
Let’s have a look at five players who could retire from the longest format after Border Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25
Steve Smith
Former Australian captain Steve Smith is likely to be the first name who could call it quits from long format to focus on white-ball format. The last time that the batter came up with a decent knock in the unlimited format was back in January 2024 when he scored 91* against the West Indies in the Brisbane Test. Smith has been pushed down to number four and he is expected to do wonders with bat in the upcoming Test.
The 35-year-old is close to 10,000 runs in the unlimited format. He would want to achieve the landmark and bring an end to his Test career to in all its glory to focus more on the limited over formats.
Usman Khawaja
Talismanic opener Usman Khawaja is another name who could bring an end to his red-ball career after the Border Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25. Though Khawaja is in decent form, he hasn’t been able to do wonders in the red-ball format. The last time Khawaja played a T20I game was in 2016 and an ODI game in 2019. Not only this, it has been more than 23 innings since he last hit a century in Tests.
Apart from it, Khawaja is 37 years old, and he would want to focus on the format where he has been able to deliver runs and results. Khawaja would want to call it quits on Test career after the BGT 2024-25 and enjoy the game for a few more years before quitting cricket altogether.
Rohit Sharma
India skipper Rohit Sharma has found himself under fire after the completion of the New Zealand series not only because of the loss but also because of the lack of contribution with the bat. In the series, Sharma failed to deliver as a cricketer as well as a captain, leading to fans and pundits questioning his form and other things before the BGT 2024-25. In 2024, Sharma is averaging just 29 in Test. While the cricketer has been praised time and again for his limitless prowess in the limited overs, he has seemingly lost the ability to play long innings in Test cricket.
Sharma has already called it quits on T20I and given the form as well as his age, he is likely to retire from Tests soon. The Nagpur-born cricketer would aim to focus solely on ODIs, and hopefully prepare himself for the 2027 edition of the World Cup.
Ravichandran Ashwin
Indian ace spinner Ravichandran Ashwin is one of the most experienced players in the red-ball format. Over the years, he has won several games for India and his lethal skills still continue to do it for the side. Ashwin is simply one of the integral parts of the Indian squad, but with the next WTC cycle in 2027, India would want to build a team beyond him.
Ashwin delivered good performances at home and the side will keep a close eye on him. Ashwin is already 38 years old and given how Washington Sundar performed in the recent series, he is looking like Ashwin’s perfect replacement.
Virat Kohli
Another name who might draw curtains on his Test career is talismanic batter and batting icon Virat Kohli. The former India batter has been going through a form slump in Test cricket for some time now. The cricketer made his Test comeback with the Bangladesh series but failed to deliver magic. Not only this, but he came up with only one notable inning against South Africa. In the recently concluded series against New Zealand, Kohli scored only 93 runs.
Across 12 innings that he has played this year, Kohli has scored only 250 runs with a below-par average of 22.72. It goes without saying that his game against spin has regressed over the last few years and he has struggled quite a lot against the Kiwis.