Virat Kohli urged to reverse Test retirement

Former India opener Robin Uthappa has reignited debate around Virat Kohli’s Test retirement, suggesting the modern great may not be finished with red-ball cricket just yet. A member of India’s triumphant 2007 T20 World Cup squad, Uthappa recently shared a social media post that quickly went viral, urging Kohli to reconsider his decision to step away from Tests.

Kohli had announced his retirement from the longest format in May 2025, just before India’s five-Test tour of England. However, his recent performances and visible intensity in training have prompted speculation about a possible return. Uthappa posted a photo of Kohli practicing in the nets ahead of the upcoming ODI series against New Zealand, writing that the determination in Kohli’s eyes “tells a story” and hinting that it might be time to reverse his Test retirement.

Despite stepping away from Tests, Kohli has been in outstanding form. His last international outing came in the ODI series against South Africa, where he struck back-to-back centuries and followed them up with an unbeaten fifty. He also turned out for Delhi in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, scoring a hundred in domestic cricket, further underlining his enduring class.

Kohli’s final Test assignment was the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia. He began the series in emphatic fashion with a century in Perth but struggled to sustain that form across the remaining matches. India went on to lose the series 1–3, which led the BCCI to carry out a detailed review of the team’s performance in January 2025.

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In the aftermath of that review, the board made domestic participation mandatory for players aspiring to continue in Test cricket. Kohli and then-captain Rohit Sharma both featured in the Ranji Trophy. Not long after, however, Kohli announced his retirement from Tests, bringing the curtain down on a stellar red-ball career that saw him score 9,230 runs in 123 matches at an average of 46.85, while also establishing himself as India’s most successful Test captain. Rohit Sharma soon followed him into retirement from the format.

Uthappa has previously suggested that the departures of Kohli and Rohit did not feel entirely organic. Speaking on his YouTube channel, he said the exits seemed abrupt and hinted that circumstances behind the scenes may have played a role. He also expressed confidence that Rohit, in particular, could have bounced back with time and improved fitness.

According to Uthappa, what stands out now is the renewed fire visible in both veterans. He believes the hunger to compete at the highest level is still very much alive, making the prospect of a Kohli comeback to Test cricket an intriguing possibility.