England have reappointed Joe Root as their Test captain at the age of 35. Fourteen months earlier, India lost Virat Kohli to Test retirement at 36 after the BCCI’s decision to pursue younger leadership left him feeling unwanted. Two boards. Two of the finest batsmen of their generation. Opposite decisions on experience, trust, and age.
The ECB announced Root’s return on July 30, alongside Stephen Fleming’s appointment as Test head coach on a four-year contract. Root had briefly led England during the second Test against New Zealand in June after Ben Stokes was dropped, and the board saw enough to make the appointment permanent. Harry Brook was keen to take over, but the ECB chose experience and stability over youth. Fleming himself made that clear, stating that Brook’s continued development remained part of the long-term plan.
“It is a great honour and privilege to be asked to be England men’s test captain again. The Test captaincy is a difficult but hugely rewarding job and, after enjoying a brief taste of it again working with Brendon McCullum last month, I am excited to lead this next generation of players forward.”
Joe Root, ECB statement, July 30, 2026
Root’s first captaincy stint ended in 2022 under difficult circumstances. But freed from leadership, he entered the most productive phase of his career, scoring 41 Test centuries and climbing to second on the all-time run-scoring list behind Sachin Tendulkar. The ECB recognised that four years of elite batting without the leadership burden had made him a different player. Their decision was deliberate: trust the proven hand, not a gamble on potential.
View this post on Instagram
The contrast with India is sharp. Kohli retired from Test cricket on May 12, 2025, ending a 14-year career spanning 123 Tests, 9,230 runs, and 30 centuries. He captained India in 68 Tests, winning 40 of them, the most by any Indian captain. He changed how India competed overseas, made pace-first bowling the template, and instilled a winning culture that no Indian captain before him had achieved.
But the retirement was not entirely his choice. According to reports in the Times of India, Kohli had wanted to return as India’s Test captain. The BCCI rejected his request. A board source told the Times of India: “A new WTC cycle is starting. Future and continuity have to be kept in mind. There can’t be any stop-gap solutions.” Shubman Gill was their choice for the future. Kohli went back to Ranji Trophy when asked, expressed interest in India A matches, and was in peak fitness. Former selector Sarandeep Singh confirmed Kohli wanted “three or four centuries in England.” But by April 2025, he was no longer a guaranteed starter. The BCCI urged him to play the England series. Kohli chose to walk away.
“It’s been 14 years since I first wore the baggy blue in Test cricket. As I step away from this format, it’s not easy, but it feels right. I’ve given it everything I had, and it’s given me back so much more than I could’ve hoped for.”
Virat Kohli, Instagram, May 12, 2025
View this post on Instagram
Insider Read:
When a board publicly backs a senior player to lead at 35, the message reaches every cricketer in that dressing room. It tells them that experience is valued, that years of service count for something, and that the team is built around trust. When a player finds out through newspaper reports that he is no longer a guaranteed starter, the opposite message spreads. Every player in that squad starts calculating their own shelf life.
The word used was “retirement.” But in professional cricket, retirement means a player has decided on his own terms that he can no longer compete at the highest level. What happened with Kohli was different. He did not lose his fitness. He remains one of the fittest cricketers in world cricket at 37. He did not stop scoring. He hit a century in Perth during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy and won back-to-back IPL titles with RCB. He did not refuse domestic cricket. He went back to Ranji Trophy when asked.
Age is a number. Performance and fitness are measurable. If a cricketer is still clearing fitness tests, still scoring runs, still hungry to compete, then the board’s job is to trust, not to plan around him. Root at 35 got that trust. Kohli at 36 did not. That is not about two players. It is about two systems and what they tell every cricketer who comes after.
What the Numbers Say About Two Boards and Two Batsmen
| Joe Root | Virat Kohli | |
|---|---|---|
| Age | 35 (reappointed captain) | 36 (at Test retirement) |
| Tests | 160+ | 123 |
| Test Runs | 14,000+ | 9,230 |
| Average | ~51 | 46.85 |
| Test Centuries | 41 | 30 |
| Tests as Captain | 65 | 68 |
| Wins as Captain | 27 | 40 |
| Board Decision | Reappointed as captain | Captaincy request rejected |
| Current Status | Leading England vs Pakistan, Aug 2026 | Active in ODIs and IPL only |
Kohli’s captaincy record was superior by every measure. Forty wins against Root’s 27. A win percentage that transformed India’s standing in Test cricket. Yet the board that benefited from all of this decided “future and continuity” mattered more than what he could still offer.
Mohammad Kaif said what many in Indian cricket felt. Speaking to Amar Ujala in June 2026, Kaif stated that Kohli left because he felt he was not welcomed properly and that people did not want to see him in the team. He said the circumstances forced Kohli out and nobody was willing to talk about it. Madan Lal called it a mistake by the selectors, saying Kohli should have been allowed to continue as captain for another two or three years.
Root will lead England against Pakistan starting August 19 at Headingley, with a home Ashes series against Australia next summer already on the horizon. Kohli continues in ODIs, building toward the 2027 World Cup in South Africa. The formats are different. The principle is the same. Trust your best when they are still willing. Or lose them before you need to.
Also Read:
- Stephen Fleming Appointed England Test Coach, Joe Root Named Captain
- Harry Brook Not Ready for England Test Captaincy
- Ben Stokes Announces Retirement from International Cricket
- Brendon McCullum Removed as England Men’s Test Coach
- Mohammad Kaif Says Kohli Left Because He Was Not Wanted in India Team
- Madan Lal Says Selectors Made a Mistake with Kohli’s Captaincy
- Nasser Hussain Pays Tribute to Kohli at Lord’s
- Alastair Cook Says England Cricket Feels Like a Mess
- Stuart Broad on ECB Test Coach Succession
