It’s been over a year since Virat Kohli announced his retirement from Test cricket, a decision that continues to spark debate among fans and former cricketers. Kapil Dev, the 1983 World Cup-winning captain, joined the discussion and admitted that he was disappointed with Kohli’s abandonment of the longest format and insisted that the former India captain is still capable of representing the country in red-ball cricket.Kohli ended his illustrious Test career on May 12, 2025, ending a remarkable journey that spanned 14 years. He remains India’s most successful Test captain with 9,230 runs in 123 Tests, including 30 centuries, and 40 wins in 68 matches. The great batsman, who retired ahead of India’s tour of England, said he had “given everything” to the format.Reflecting on Kohli’s decision, Kapil said he would have preferred the star batsman to continue playing rather than end his Test career.“I was not happy when he retired from Test cricket. It was not 10,000 games or any milestone. I felt that if he did not react angrily within six months, there was a good chance that he would play for India again,” Kapil told Sports Tak.
“Go back, work hard, and make a comeback.”
The legendary all-rounder believes Kohli should remain patient even if he faces disappointment from the selectors or the team management.“If the selectors don’t select him, it doesn’t matter. If the captain doesn’t select him, it doesn’t matter. Go back, work hard and score runs in domestic cricket or any competition. He will come back because he still has the quality of a Test player,” Kapil said.Kapil also compared Kohli’s fiery on-court personality to tennis legend John McEnroe, suggesting that some elite athletes perform at their best when driven by emotion and confrontation.“He has the ability, even if he is a little too enthusiastic at times. Looking at Virat, I think of John McEnroe. He cannot give his best performance until he fights,” Kapil said.“Some players like Rahul Dravid, Sunil Gavaskar and Sachin always keep their heads down and let their performance do the talking. But others embrace the challenge and thrive on that intensity. That’s why I mentioned McEnroe. He was always arguing with the umpires. I could never do that, but it was fun to watch,” he added.
Kohli’s focus now is ODI cricket
Although Kohli has retired from Tests and T20Is, he continues to represent India in ODIs and will feature in the next three ODIs against England starting from July 14.
