“ A player of that stature also has his own ego” - Munaf Patel opens up on Virat Kohli’s Test retirement

Former Indian pacer Munaf Patel has shared his views on the Indian talismanic batter Virat Kohli announcing his retirement from the longest format of the game ahead of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy in the new World Test Championship 2025-27 cycle.

Speaking exclusively to a YouTube channel, Munaf has opined that he wouldn’t want to see Kohli back in Tests, adding that a player of Kohli’s stature wouldn’t love to come back after announcing retirement. 

“Now that the decision has been made, maybe it is still his decision to come back, but I don’t think so. If you ask me personally, then no. A player of that stature also has his own ego. You are talking about Virat Kohli. You compare him with Sachin and then think that he will retire and come back. Retirement is neither your decision nor mine; he took that decision himself. Since he has taken it himself, he is responsible for it,” Munaf Patel told 'Breaking Sports with Vivek Sethia' on his YouTube podcast.

Notably, Kohli ended his Test career with 9230 runs from 123 games, falling short of the 10,000-run mark. When asked about Kohli’s early retirement from Tests, the former pacer asserted that the talismanic batter has achieved almost everything possible.

“What is the calculation of ten thousand runs, sir? When you look at what he has achieved, he has played 100 Test matches, captained the country, won series in places where we had never won before, and achieved everything. What else is left? So it can be his decision, taken according to his own thinking. Coming back now seems difficult. I don’t think it will happen. It is difficult,” he concluded.

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