‘I miss him’: Donald says Kohli retired too early from Tests

South African fast-bowling legend Allan Donald has said he misses watching Virat Kohli in Test cricket and believes the Indian superstar retired from the longest format too early, similar to AB de Villiers in 2018. 

Kohli retired from Tests in May 2025 after a difficult 2024 season in which he averaged under 25 across 19 innings, finishing with 9,230 runs in the format.

Since then, Kohli has rediscovered his rhythm in limited-overs cricket. Despite starting with back-to-back ducks in Australia, he bounced back in spectacular fashion with four consecutive fifty-plus scores in ODIs against Australia and South Africa. He also impressed in domestic cricket, scoring a century and a fifty for Delhi in the Vijay Hazare Trophy.

Comparing Kohli to de Villiers, who retired from Test cricket at the peak of his powers, Donald said Kohli still had plenty left to offer in the format. He praised Kohli’s hunger, intensity, and passion, calling him the closest batter to challenge Sachin Tendulkar’s records.

“If there is one batter who is going to get close to Sachin Tendulkar, it would be Virat Kohli. I don’t think I have ever seen a hunger in a player like Virat. I’ve got massive respect for him. He is just a machine. I actually miss him. I miss him in the Test match arena. I still think he’s almost like an AB (AB de Villiers),” Donald told ANI.

Donald added that although Kohli may be gone from Tests, fans can still expect him to shine in white-ball cricket and possibly feature in the 2027 World Cup.
“You think he’s retired too early. But, no doubt we will see him in the white-ball arena and in the 2027 World Cup as well,” he said.