Guwahati: Shreevats Goswami, a former Bengal cricketer and ex-RCB teammate of Virat Kohli, suggested that Kohli should have continued playing Test cricket rather than retiring from the format while remaining active in One Day Internationals (ODIs). Reflecting on the current state of Indian batting in the ongoing series against South Africa, where the Proteas amassed 749 runs across two innings, Goswami indicated that Kohli’s passion and energy could have benefitted the team.
Goswami expressed on social media platform X (formerly Twitter), “Ideally Virat should have left playing ODIs & continued playing Test cricket until he had nothing to give. Test cricket misses him,” adding, “Not just as a player but also for the energy he brought, the love & passion playing for India, where he made the team believe that they can win in any condition.”
Kohli, India’s most successful Test captain, led the team to 40 victories in 68 Test matches he captained. Even when not in charge, Kohli’s energy and aggression on the field were unparalleled, maintaining a competitive spirit against opposing teams. However, after facing disappointing series in recent encounters against New Zealand and Australia, Kohli announced his retirement from Test cricket in May.
Despite falling 770 runs short of his goal of reaching 10,000 Test runs, Kohli remains active in ODI cricket after retiring from T20 internationals following last year’s T20 World Cup. In March, he scored his 51st ODI century during the Champions Trophy against Pakistan and recently returned to the international arena against Australia, redeeming himself after two consecutive ducks by scoring an unbeaten 74 runs in his team’s successful chase in the series decider.
