Legendary Kapil Dev expressed genuine disappointment over Virat Kohli’s decision to retire from Test cricket last year, warning that the star batter might look back in a few years and deeply regret his choice.
Kohli walked away from the longest format just before the tour of England, finishing his Test career with 9,230 runs—leaving him just 770 runs short of the elite 10,000-run milestone.
"I feel sorry about him (Kohli) retiring from Test match. I don’t know why he did that. He was the best. As a spectator, as a former cricketer, I feel he should have played more Test cricket also because he has the ability," Kapil told PTI.
"I don’t know if he is feeling bad today or not. He stopped playing. But I think in few years’ time, he will definitely feel why I did not play Test cricket little more," he added.
Considering Kohli's elite physical fitness, Kapil believes the batting stalwart could have easily extended his Test career by another two to three years.
"When you love the game, you have passion for the game, why to retire when you can manage yourself. And I can understand T20 can be totally different. But one-day and Test match, that’s his cup of tea," he stated.
Kohli slammed his record-extending 55th ODI century against the West Indies in Thiruvananthapuram on Sunday (September 27).
During his blistering knock of 88-ball 139*, Kohli became only the second batter in cricket history to cross 15,000 ODI runs, following the legendary Sachin Tendulkar. He reached the milestone in his 303rd ODI innings, achieving it 74 innings faster than Tendulkar.
The 1983 World Cup-winning captain expects Kohli to break the remaining ODI records if he plays for another 2-3 years.
"He is showing so much interest. The way he is playing, he is looking good. At this age, his fitness is the most important thing. And if he can keep himself fit for another 2-3 years, I think he can break all the records," Kapil said.
Despite his personal views, Kapil Dev explicitly mentioned he would not advocate for Kohli to reverse his Test retirement, emphasizing that it remains an individual choice that former players must respect.
"No, he should not come out from the retirement. No, people like us should not even say that. That’s his call, not our call."
On the bowling front, Kapil urged Jasprit Bumrah to play all formats of cricket simultaneously, despite the fast bowler's preference for workload management.
"I thought Bumrah can play all three kind (of format). I think very few players can play all kinds of cricket. But I think the pool is so big, so selectors want to give chance to everybody," Kapil said.
He emphasized that every player must understand their own physical limits and do what is right for their body.
"Yes, I think every individual should know their body. What is right for them, they should try to do that," Kapil remarked.
(With PTI Inputs)
