Former South Africa pacer Allan Donald believes Virat Kohli announced his Test retirement earlier than he should have, as Indian cricket still misses his presence in the longest format. Kohli ended his red-ball career on May 12 last year after the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia. Donald praised Kohli’s dedication, discipline, and hunger for the game. He also called his work ethic unmatched and backed him for the 2027 ODI World Cup.
Speaking during SA20 to a select media gathering, Donald said, “You know, I don’t think I’ve ever seen hunger in a player other than Virat. I’ve got massive respect for him. I often talk about it in the dressing rooms and chats about being a champion trainer. There’s no one that trains as hard as him. He is just a machine.” Donald is among the few South African bowlers who picked 600 international wickets.
Donald also shared his feelings about Kohli stepping away from Tests. “I actually miss him in the Test match arena. I think he’s retired too early, but yeah, I look with no doubt we will see him in the white-ball arena in the World Cup very, very soon,” Donald said.
Kohli announced his T20I retirement after India won the Men’s T20 World Cup in 2024. Currently, Kohli is only part of India’s ODI setup and is playing in the ongoing series against New Zealand. He has also made his return to the Vijay Hazare Trophy, where he scored 131 runs against Andhra and became the fastest to reach 16,000 List A runs.
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