Rohit Sharma may miss India’s upcoming Test series against England later this year, as per reports. The Indian captain has chosen not to participate following his underwhelming performance in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

Virat Kohli is likely to keep his place in the Test squad. Both Kohli and Rohit struggled during their recent tour of Australia, with Rohit opting out of the New Year’s Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground. He also missed the first Test in Perth, which was led by Jasprit Bumrah. Since returning for the Day-Night Test at the Adelaide Oval, Rohit has faced challenges in scoring runs, managing just 31 runs in three matches at an average of 6.20.

Speculation about Rohit’s retirement surfaced after he withdrew from the Sydney Test, but the veteran batter made it clear he had no intentions of retiring from Test cricket. “This is not a decision about retirement. I’m not stepping away from the game. I chose to step back because I wasn’t able to score runs,” Rohit told Star Sports. “There’s no guarantee I will score runs two months or five months from now. I’ve seen a lot of cricket, and every day brings change. While things may improve, I have to be realistic. People in commentary or writing on laptops won’t decide my future,” he added.

In contrast, Kohli managed to score a century in the second innings of the Perth Test but struggled to make big scores otherwise. Both players made their comebacks in the Ranji Trophy but were unable to register significant performances.

Nevertheless, Rohit and Virat played crucial roles in India’s victory at the Champions Trophy in Dubai, with Rohit scoring a match-winning 76 in the final and Virat contributing with knocks of 100 not out against Pakistan and 84 against Australia.

India’s tour of England will begin on June 20 with the opening Test at Headingley in Leeds. The other four Tests will be held at Edgbaston, Lord’s, Old Trafford, and Kennington Oval.