Former India batter and 2007 T20 World Cup winner Robin Uthappa has made a bold call, urging Virat Kohli to reverse his retirement from Test cricket.
Kohli, who announced his retirement from the longest format in May 2025 ahead of India’s tour of England, has since shown strong signs of form and fitness, prompting Uthappa to believe that the former captain still has plenty to offer in red-ball cricket.
Uthappa shared his thoughts through a social media post, reacting to images of Kohli training in the nets ahead of the upcoming three-match ODI series against New Zealand in Vadodara.
“Them eyes tell u a story. Surely it’s time to rescind his Test retirement. Would love to see him back in Test cricket,” Uthappa wrote.
Kohli’s last international outing came during the ODI series against South Africa, where he struck two centuries and an unbeaten fifty, underlining his enduring class. He then returned to domestic cricket, representing Delhi in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, scoring a commanding century in just two matches.
Before retiring from Tests, Kohli began the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia with a superb hundred in Perth but struggled to maintain consistency in the remaining matches as India lost the series 1–3. Following the tour, the Board of Control for Cricket in India conducted a post-series review, after which Kohli briefly featured in the Ranji Trophy before calling time on his Test career.
Uthappa has previously questioned the circumstances surrounding the Test retirements of both Kohli and Rohit Sharma, suggesting their exits did not feel organic.
“I don’t know if it was a forced surrender, but it didn’t seem like a natural exit,” Uthappa said earlier, adding that the hunger and intensity are still visible in both players.
Kohli retired as India’s most successful Test captain, finishing his red-ball career with 9,230 runs in 123 Tests at an average of 46.85.
Having already retired from Tests and T20Is, Kohli will next be seen in action in the ODI series against New Zealand starting January 11. While there has been no indication from Kohli about reconsidering his Test retirement, Uthappa’s remarks have reignited discussion among fans and experts about whether the batting great deserves a final chapter in whites.
