Kohli announced his Test retirement earlier this year, after playing 123 matches.
Veteran India batter Virat Kohli slammed a match-winning hundred in the first ODI against South Africa at the JSCA International Stadium Complex, Ranchi on Sunday (November 30).
Ever since his Test retirement, speculations are rife about Kohli’s ODI future and whether there's enough fuel in his tank to continue through the grind until the 2027 World Cup. However, the 37-year-old silenced his critics with a breathtaking knock of 135 runs in 120 balls, including 11 fours and 7 sixes.
As Kohli took the Proteas bowling attack to cleaners in Ranchi, the internet was abuzz with reports of the former skipper being asked to come out of Test retirement. The murmurs gained momentum following India's 2-0 whitewash in the recent home Test series against South Africa.
However, the rumours were quashed by Virat Kohli himself when he came to collect the Player-of-the-Match accolade in Ranchi.
At the post-match presentation, veteran commentator and broadcaster Harsha Bhogle asked Kohli if he is going to play just one form of the game in the future too. In reply, the batting stalwart said, “Yes, and that’s how it’s always going to be. I’m just playing one form of the game."
Former India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has now shared his view on this topic, stating that the decision to retire was not made by Kohli overnight and one should respect it.
“What's there to think about? Whatever decision we take, it is well thought out. No one decides about retirement overnight. I am fairly certain that if Virat retired from Tests, he was quite clear that he wanted to do so. Nobody makes instinctive decisions. We have all crossed that road,” said Ashwin on his YouTube channel ‘Ash Ki Baat’.
“Sure, as audience and fans, we all want to see Virat Kohli. It's there, and the way he batted yesterday, fans are going to think Virat Kohli is in his prime and why we are not able to see him. Test cricket is a different kettle of fish, and he has made his decision about that,” he added.
Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma retired from Test cricket within a gap of five days in May this year. Having retired from T20Is last year, the seasoned campaigners are now focusing solely on the ODI format.
With reports of their potential Test retirement U-turn doing rounds in the media, Ashwin said it would not be the right thing to do for now, as the Indian team has already entered a transition phase.
“Let's make one thing very clear. The decision has been made; revisiting it is not the right thing to do. The team has also gone into transition, but I will say one thing, let's just enjoy both Virat and Rohit,” said Ashwin.
“Please let’s do it because once they are done, we could hear talks like ‘oh, what a player he was! Please bring him back’. That doesn’t cut ice for me. For however long they play, let us celebrate them as long as they are playing. As I said, life moves on very fast. Time does not wait for anyone. It is very important that we realise that the time is less. So it is better that we enjoy whatever they are doing,” he remarked.