Virat Kohli retired from Test cricket on May 12, 2025. Kapil Dev said, “He is 37 and like a grandfather in cricket. So it’s not correct for people like us to advise him.” Although many fans want him back, Kohli confirmed he is now playing just the one format instead.
Kohli retired from Tests on May 12, 2025, five days after Rohit Sharma’s announcement. He finished playing the format as India’s fourth-highest run-scorer in Test cricket, behind Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and Sunil Gavaskar. That he couldn’t complete 10,000 runs in the format will always remain a bitter pill to swallow, but since his retirement, Kohli has found a second wind in his career, scoring more and with greater consistency than ever before.
“I feel sorry that he retired from Test cricket. I don’t know why he did that. He knows the best, but as a spectator and a former cricketer, I feel he should have played it longer because he has that ability,” Kapil said while speaking to PTI.
Kohli has received multiple requests from former cricketers to reverse his decision and return to the format he rejuvenated with his aggression and captaincy, becoming India’s most successful Test captain in the process. However, Kohli made it clear during this year’s IPL that his decision is final and that he is playing ‘just the one format’. Kapil, though, would not ask Kohli to reconsider. While he wishes Kohli had played more Tests, he does not feel he is in a position to tell a champion cricketer like him what to do.
“No. He is 37 and like a grandfather in cricket. So it’s not correct for people like us to advise him. He knows what’s best for him. And that’s it. As an outsider, I feel he should have played. As to whether he should come out of retirement, people like us shouldn’t advise. That’s his call, not ours.”