Ex-RCB star urges Virat to reconsider Test exit

• Uthappa urges Kohli to reconsider Test retirement after seeing his intensity. (86 chars)
• Uthappa believes Kohli's Test exit wasn't natural; suggests it felt forced. (88 chars)
• Kohli retired from Tests before 2025 England series; excelled in 2025 ODIs.(86 chars)

Former India batter Robin Uthappa has reignited discussions about Virat Kohli’s Test retirement, urging the most successful Indian red-ball skipper to

reconsider his decision after seeing his intensity and focus during the recent training sessions.

Taking to social media, Uthappa shared a photo of Virat practicing in the nets during India’s practice session, and wrote that the hunger is still clearly visible. He further suggested that this might be the right time for Virat Kohli to come out of test retirement. 

“The eyes tell u a story…Surely it’s time to rescind his test retirement. Would love to see him back in Test cricket,” wrote Uthappa. 

Check Uthappa's social media post here

Them eyes tell u a story…Surely it’s time to rescind his test retirement. Would love to see him back in Test cricket. pic.twitter.com/fxWcI8tF1X

— Robbie Uthappa (@robbieuthappa) January 8, 2026

Earlier, Uthappa had opined that both Virat and Rohit Sharma’s exit from test cricket was not natural. He was speaking on his YouTube channel.

“I don’t know if it was a forced surrender, but it definitely didn’t seem like a natural exit. What the truth is, they themselves will have to share in their own time. But I don’t think it was natural,” he said via a video on his YouTube channel. 

Kohli, widely regarded as one of the greatest red-ball players of the modern-day era, had surprised everyone with his untimely retirement from his beloved format just before the England series in 2025. The former India captain finished his illustrious career with 9230 runs to his name with an average of 46.85, scoring 30 centuries. Since then, the Delhi-born has been in sublime form in ODIs and has shown no signs of slowing down.

---

Virat Kohli had a stellar 2025 

Despite retiring from both tests and T20Is, Virat dominated the 50-over format in 2025. Virat Kohli was India’s leading ODI run-getter in 2025, scoring 651 runs in 13 matches at an average of 65.10, making him one of the most consistent batters of the year. He is currently 2nd in the ODI batting ranking, just below Rohit Sharma.  Even in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, he was in stellar form, scoring two fifties in as many games for Delhi, before joining Team India for a three-match series against the BlackCaps.