From Captain Cool to The Wall: Indian cricket legends who made their final Test appearance in BGT

Some of the key players from Team India will be feeling the heat as they gear up for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy starting in Perth on Nov 22. Following their disappointing 3-0 series loss to New Zealand at home, India have lost their top spot to Australia in the World Test Championship rankings. To secure a spot in the WTC finals, India will need to win all four Tests on their upcoming tour of Australia, putting immense pressure on the players to deliver their best performances.

The poor returns of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli in the New Zealand series have raised scrutiny over their Test career. Rohit scored 91 runs in six innings against New Zealand while Kohli scored only 93 runs. Rohit will miss the first Test in Perth because of personal reasons and would have four matches in the series to prove his batting acumen in the longer format.

For Ravichandran Ashwin, 38, and Ravindra Jadeja, 35, this could probably be their last outing against Australia in Test cricket. Earlier, the Border-Gavaskar Trophy has witnessed the swan songs of several Indian cricket legends, who bid farewell to Test cricket during or after the series.

Anil Kumble, India’s highest wicket-taker in Tests with 619 wickets, retired during the 2008 series after the third Test in Delhi, which ended in a draw. MS Dhoni took over as captain for the fourth Test, leading India to a comprehensive 2-0 series victory.

Sourav Ganguly played his last Test in Nagpur during the 2008 Border-Gavaskar Trophy. He scored 85 in the first innings but ended his career with a duck in the second while India won the match by 172 runs. Ganguly retired with 7,212 runs in 113 Tests, which included 16 centuries.

Rahul Dravid retired after the 2011-12 series in Australia. His final match in Adelaide saw modest scores, with India suffering a 4-0 series loss. Dravid ended his Test career with 13,288 runs in 164 Tests at an average of 52.31, which included 36 centuries.

The Adelaide Test in 2012 also marked the end of VVS Laxman's career. Known for his elegance and the historic Kolkata innings in 2001, Laxman scored 18 and 35 in his final outing. He ended his Test career with 8781 runs in 134 Tests, including 17 centuries.

Virender Sehwag, the only Indian to score two triple centuries in Tests, played his last match in Hyderabad during the 2013 Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Though he only managed six runs in his final innings, Sehwag left behind a legacy of fearless and aggressive batting, accumulating 8586 runs in 104 Tests.

MS Dhoni retired from Test cricket during the 2014 series in Australia after the Melbourne Test. However, Dhoni's sudden announcement of retiring from Tests surprised everyone. He represented India in 90 Tests, scoring 4876 runs with six centuries​.