Virat Kohli made 9230 runs at an average of 46.85 in 123 Tests with 30 centuries.
Mohammed Kaif has asserted that Virat Kohli won’t reverse his decision to retire from Test cricket, speaking ahead of the Raipur Test between India and South Africa on Wednesday, December 3.
Kohli brought the curtain down on his distinguished Test career in May this year, just before the tour of England. After India’s 0-2 series defeat to South Africa, rumors emerged suggesting the BCCI was contemplating bringing Kohli back into the Test setup.
However, BCCI has rubbished the rumors, and Virat Kohli himself confirmed that he’s playing only one format now after the Ranchi ODI. Kaif stated that the Indian hitter has a history of sticking to his decisions, pointing out that he never returned to the RCB captaincy after leaving the job.
"Kohli has a habit of sticking to the decision that he makes. There are many players who have reversed their retirements. But Kohli is not among them. Even after he left the captaincy in the IPL, the last time people told him he should return as captain, he did not. He made the decision and looked to back a junior, and Patidar was the captain.
He has the guts that, after he has taken the call, no matter what the reason is, he has taken it after thinking a lot, and he will not come back now. People do want him, but once these calls are taken, he is a man of his word; he will not come back," said Kaif on his YouTube channel.
Kohli returned to terrific form, scoring his 52nd ODI ton, a match-winning 135 runs in the first ODI against South Africa in Ranchi.
Kaif stated that Kohli's knock in Ranchi revealed a guy in complete control and that he was batting with such authority that a double century was not out of the question. He highlighted that, despite being under scrutiny, Kohli chose to take a daring and attacking strategy from the start.
"He played after a month. He was not in touch, also in between or played anywhere. But the way he batted in Ranchi, he was batting according to his will. He could even have hit a double hundred, but he had to change his tempo after wickets fell in between. It is seen much less in the mood in which he was batting. People will even judge him a lot at this stage and wait for him to get out. This stage is very difficult for a cricketer. He cannot play such an innings under this pressure. They will look to play for their place and play it safe. But he did not bat like that. He is great for this reason," said Kaif.