Legendary all-rounder Kapil Dev has expressed disappointment regarding Virat Kohli's decision to retire from Test cricket, stating that the star batter made the decision "in anger" and should have allowed himself more time to process his emotions.
The 1983 World Cup-winning captain emphasized that milestones like reaching 10,000 runs did not matter; rather, it was about Kohli's definitive ability to still perform at the pinnacle of red-ball cricket.
Kapil felt Kohli let his frustration dictate his future, noting that instead of stepping away permanently, he could have worked harder, scored runs in domestic matches, and won his spot back.
Kohli called time on his Test career in May 2025, with 9230 runs from 123 matches at an average of 46.85, including 30 centuries and 31 fifties. His last Test appearance came during the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia, where he struggled against fast bowlers pitching the ball outside the off-stump.
“It’s not about 10,000 runs. What I thought was — for six months… he should not have done that in anger because you won’t get a chance to play for India again. Then you can only talk. When you’re playing, don’t react in anger," Kapil said while speaking to Sports Tak.
“It feels like—no, you still had time. If the selectors didn’t pick you, no problem. If the captain didn’t pick you, no problem. Work hard, go and score more runs—like Mohinder Amarnath. Or Anshuman Gaekwad. It didn’t matter—they went and scored runs in domestic cricket. Just like you’re doing in the IPL or other trophies—if you play, he will come back. Because he still has the ability for Test cricket. It’s not like he can’t play—if you look now, he can still play. But the decision made me feel bad because he took it before his time,” he added.
Kapil compared Kohli to tennis great John McEnroe and Pakistan legend Javed Miandad. He believes all three players use anger and conflict to perform at their best.
While Kapil admitted he wants to tell Kohli to 'cool down', he respects that this fire helps the latter win games.
“That ability—sometimes it seems a bit strange, because they get too emotional. But when I see Virat, I’m reminded of McEnroe. John McEnroe, yes—because until he fought, he couldn’t perform. And Javed Miandad was the same way. Some players come along like that. Others are like Rahul Dravid, Sunil Gavaskar, Sachin—keep your head down, play your game, give your performance. But some players in sports take on challenges—that’s why I mentioned McEnroe. He was always fighting with the referee. I couldn’t do that—I never could. But I used to enjoy it, thinking, look how much fire he has! And when I see Virat sometimes, I think, yaar, cool down a little, take it easy. But maybe he feels that getting that aggression going improves his performance. And if it does, then why not?" Kapil remarked.
