This Week in Cricket #176: Virat & Rohit Retire, IPL Resumption & Test Match Cricket is Here (almost)!

In this episode of the show, Binksy, Jamie, Baldy and Stu discuss an eventful week, which saw the return of the IPL but not all its players, the Test cricket retirements of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, squad news galore and some potential candidates emerge for the Black Caps coaching role. We start by talking about the IPL's resumption and the players such as Jos Buttler and Mitchell Starc who have decided not to return or will need to depart for the playoff stages as the international calendar fills up again. Does previous form go out the window? And how will teams manage the disruption? Next we discuss the Test Cricket retirements of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. Was it the right time? What legacy have they left? How will they be remembered? Who will replace them? And does their departure put Test cricket in danger? We round out the show by bouncing around a couple of upcoming Test matches - England's first match of the summer, against Zimbabwe, and the World Test Championship Final between Australia and South Africa - as well as the latest reports emerging about the Black Caps' coaching search. We'll be back in your feed next week with more cricket news as the IPL playoff picture takes shape and England take on Zimbabwe. Until then please take the time to give us a like, follow, share or subscribe on all our channels (@toporderpod on Twitter & Facebook, and @thetoporderpodcast on Instagram & YouTube) and a (5-Star!) review at your favourite podcast provider, or tell a friend to download. It really helps others find the show and is the best thing you can do to support us. You can also find all our written content, including our Hall of Fame series, at our website. You can also dip back into our guest episodes - including conversations with Mike Hesson, Shane Bond and Mike Hussey, current players such as Matt Henry, Sophie Devine and Ish Sodhi, coaches Gary Stead, Jeetan Patel and Luke Wright, as well as Barry Richards, Frankie Mackay, Bharat Sundaresan and many more fascinating people from all across the cricketing world. And if you'd like to reach out to us with feedback, questions or guest suggestions, get in touch at [email protected]. Thanks for listening. 0:00 Intro 1:20 IPL resumption - player ins & outs & disruption 17:10 Rohit Sharma & Virat Kohli retire from Tests 20:45 Did they step away at the right time? 26:55 Legacy/How will they be remembered? 33:50 Who replaces them in the Test XI? 37:05 Is this a danger for Test cricket? 40:05 England v Zimbabwe 53:20 Australia & South Africa squads for WTC Final 1:02:45 Black Caps coaching search Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices