Virat Kohli’s childhood coach, Rajkumar Sharma, has revealed a conversation he had with the right-handed batter about the possibility of returning to Test cricket. The 37-year-old retired from the longest format of the game in 2025 and is currently only active in ODI cricket on the international stage.
Despite their success in white-ball cricket, India are going through a lean patch in Test matches, having previously lost a home series against South Africa. They even suffered a series whitewash on
home soil against New Zealand in 2024, before losing the Border-Gavaskar Trophy to Australia.
Amongst the disappointing run in Test cricket, a host of fans have asked Kohli to return to the format and lead the batting once again. Rajkumar was asked the same question, with the former coach providing a ray of hope for the great batter to make a comeback.
"Baat toh hui hai, dekhte hai kya hota hai (We have talked about it; let's see what happens.),” Rajkumar Sharma said on the Express Cafe podcast.
Kohli has been one of India’s best batters in Test cricket in recent times before his retirement. He went on to represent the Men in Blue in 123 matches, scoring 9,230 runs at an average of 46.85, with 30 centuries to his name. The current Royal Challengers Bengaluru star is also one of the country’s greatest Test captains, winning 40 out of the 68 matches he led in the five-day format.
However, it is not all doom and gloom for India without their star batter. The Men in Blue, now captained by Shubman Gill, went on to secure a 2-2 draw in England in 2025, which included a dramatic last-day win in the fifth and final Test match at the Kia Oval.
As things stand, Kohli is focused on guiding India to World Cup glory in 2027, after missing out in 2023. The batter has been named in the ODI squad for the upcoming three-match series against Afghanistan right after the 2026 Indian Premier League.
