Virat Kohli nowhere near retirement, should make Test comeback: Ex-India player

Virat Kohli starred in the opening game of the Indian Premier League 2026 with a sensational unbeaten 69. Chasing 202 at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Kohli guided Royal Challengers Bengaluru to a commanding win over SunRisers Hyderabad. The knock prompted former cricketer Ambati Rayudu to heap praise on the batter, even suggesting that the 37-year-old is nowhere close to retirement.

Speaking on ESPNcricinfo, Rayudu said Kohli still has five to six years of top-level cricket left in him and should even consider a return to red-ball cricket.

Kohli, on Saturday, unleashed a range of exceptional strokes during the chase. In the seventh over, he produced a lofted straight drive - an aggressive yet aesthetically stunning shot that is already being touted as one of the shots of the tournament. Later, in the 10th over, a trademark wrist flick sailed over deep square leg for six, so effortless that commentator Ian Bishop called it one of the most magnificent sights he had seen.

KOHLI NOWHERE CLOSE TO RETIREMENT: RAYUDU

Reacting to the innings, Rayudu surprised the panel by urging Kohli to return to Test cricket - a view echoed by former India batting coach Sanjay Bangar.

“I don’t think he is anywhere close to the end of his career. I think he still has five or six quality years left in him and, as Sanjay (Bangar) and I were discussing earlier, he should make a comeback in Test cricket as well - hopefully as a captain,” Rayudu said on the post-match show.

“We are serious. He is the best red-ball captain I have seen in Indian cricket, and the way he is batting now, it is a loss for Indian cricket,” he added.

The legendary batter called time on his Test career in 2025 after India's routing in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25. Kohli retired without touching the magiv figure of 10,000 Test runs, a figure most cricket watchers felt that he deserved.

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Kohli’s unbeaten 69, studded with five fours and five sixes, helped RCB chase down 202 in under 16 overs. With the win, the defending champions announced their arrival in style.

With a strong squad, RCB will be chasing a second successive title this season - a feat achieved only by Chennai Super Kings (2010–11) and Mumbai Indians (2019–20).

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