T20 World Cup Winner's Emotional Appeal To Virat Kohli, Urges India Star To Reverse Test Retirement: 'Would Love To See Him Back'

T20 World Cup winner in 2007, Robin Uthappa has made an emotional appeal to talismanic batter Virat Kohli, asking the 37-year-old to reverse his Test retirement.

Earlier on May 12, 2025, Virat Kohli took to his official Instagram handle and announced his retirement from Test cricket, calling an end to a 14-year career in the red-ball format. Kohli's retirement in the Test format came as a surprise to many Indian cricket fans.

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Taking to his official social media handle, Robin Uthappa shared a picture of Kohli practicing in the nets ahead of the three-match ODI series against New Zealand. Uthappa showered praise on the 37-year-old's aggression, saying that his eyes tell a story.

The 2007 T20 World Cup winner concluded by saying that he would love Kohli back in Test cricket.

"Them eyes tell u a story…Surely it’s time to rescind his test retirement. Would love to see him back in Test cricket," Robin Uthappa wrote on X.

Virat Kohli's Numbers In Tests

Virat Kohli began his Test career for Team India in 2011 against the West Indies at Kingston. In the Test, the 37-year-old played 123 matches and 210 innings, scoring 9230 runs at a strike rate of 55.57 and an average of 46.85. He slammed 30 centuries and 31 fifties in the red-ball cricket for Team India.

The top-order batter played his final Test match against Australia in January 2025 during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-2025.

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Virat Kohli will be seen in action in the upcoming three-match ODIs against New Zealand, which will start from January 11.

The three-match ODI series between India and New Zealand will kick off on January 11. The first match of the series will be played at the BCA Stadium in Vadodara. The second match of the series will be played on January 14 at the Niranjan Shah Stadium in Rajkot. The Holkar Cricket Stadium in Indore will host the third and final match of the ODI series.

In the ODIs, the right-handed batter played 308 matches and 296 innings, amassing 14557 runs at an average of 58.46 and a strike rate of 93.65. He scored 53 centuries and 76 half-centuries in the 50-over format for the Men in Blue.