Former team India skipper Virat Kohli has dismissed speculation surrounding his return to Test cricket, stating that he is done with the format. Speaking at the launch event of sportswear brand One8 in New Delhi, Kohli responded to a light-hearted question about whether he would consider returning to Test cricket to add to his career run tally. In the show, the team India batting icon cleared that his decision to retire from the longest format remains unchanged.
The remark came after host and comedian Danish Sait pointed out that one of the brand’s shoes was priced at Rs 9,230 — the exact number of runs Kohli scored during his Test career. Sait jokingly suggested that Kohli could return to the format, score more runs and increase the product’s value.
Responding with a smile, Kohli said, “I would rather undersell. I’m done with it (Test cricket), thank you.”
The comment effectively has put an end on the discussion about his possible return to the Test cricket after announcing retirement from the format.
Kohli announced his retirement from Test cricket in May last year, bringing the curtain down on a remarkable career that spanned 14 years and established him as one of India’s most successful batters and captains in the format.
Kohli has played 123 matches and scored 9,230 runs at an average of 46.85. His tally included 30 centuries and 31 half-centuries, with an unbeaten 254 standing as his highest score. He remains team India’s fourth highest run getter in longer format, behind Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and Sunil Gavaskar.
Between 2016 and 2019, Kohli scored 4,208 runs in 43 matches at an average of 66.79. It was considered as Kohli’s peak year in test cricket where he scored 16 centuries and registered seven double hundreds, the most by a captain in Test cricket history. He also enjoyed immense success as captain, leading India to 40 victories in 68 Tests, making him the country’s most successful skipper in the format.
Kohli first assumed the Test captaincy during India’s tour of Australia in 2014 and went on to oversee one of the most successful periods in Indian Test cricket.