Virat Kohli sent Test comeback message amid India’s struggle under Gautam Gambhir

Former Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) wicketkeeper-batsman, Shreevats Goswami, has shared an emotional post on X amid the struggles of the India National Cricket Team in Test cricket.

Shreevats Goswami stated that the legendary captain Virat Kohli should have continued to play his favourite format because he made India a dominant force in red-ball cricket.

Ideally, Virat Kohli should have left playing ODIs - Shreevats Goswami

The modern-day batting great Virat Kohli is currently active in international cricket only as a single-format player, as he has already retired from Test and T20I cricket.

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Kohli only plays 50-over matches for the India National Cricket Team, and he was last seen in action on the Australia tour, where he registered back-to-back ducks before smashing a half-century in the Sydney ODI.

Virat Kohli will be next seen in action in the upcoming home ODI series against the South Africa National Cricket Team, but before that, his Test retirement decision has been termed incorrect by his former teammate Shreevats Goswami.

Taking to X amid India's horror show in the ongoing Test series against the Proteas, Shreevats Goswami said that Test cricket misses Virat Kohli a lot and he should have continued playing the format.

"Ideally Virat should have left playing ODIs & continued playing test cricket untill he had nothing to give. Test cricket misses him. Not just as a player but just the energy he brought, the love & passion playing for 🇮🇳 where he made the team believe that they can win in any condition. #INDVSA," Shreevats Goswami wrote on X.

Notably, Virat Kohli announced his retirement from Test cricket on 12 May 2025 after a legendary career that spanned from his debut on 20 June 2011 to 3 January 2025 (his last Test match).

He is getting to bat at No. 4. Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli used to bat at No. 4 - Parthiv Patel on Dhruv Jurel

In a recent interaction on Star Sports, former India gloveman criticised the young batter, Dhruv Jurel, who is batting at No.4 in the Guwahati Test, saying that he played a poor shot to fall for an 11-ball duck against Marco Jansen.

"Even if the Tea break hadn't been close, this shot was not on. He is deservedly playing as a batter because he has scored a lot of runs. However, here, he wasn't in control at all. Generally, when the ball is outside the right shoulder of a right-handed batter and you try to play it on the leg side, you are not in control. That ball mostly goes in the air, and that's what happened here," the cricketer-turned-commentator said.

"Secondly, when you are playing Marco Jansen, you need to keep the extra bounce in mind because he is so tall. He has let go of a third consecutive opportunity. He is getting to bat at No. 4. Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli used to bat at No. 4. Shubman Gill is batting at No. 4 now. He has also scored a lot of runs," he added.

The pull shot is Dhruv Jurel's strength - Cheteshwar Pujara

Meanwhile, Cheteshwar Pujara acknowledged that the pull shot is Dhruv Jurel's strength, but added that the youngster should carefully plan against which bowlers to execute that shot.

"The pull shot is Dhruv Jurel's strength. However, when it's your strength, you also need to understand against which bowler you are playing that shot. You can still understand his two dismissals in the first match as the wicket wasn't that good and he was batting under pressure," he said.

Also Read: Virat Kohli and Sachin Tendulkar lead tributes for Bollywood legend Dharmendra