Earlier this year, Virat Kohli said goodbye to Test cricket and is now only playing for India in ODI cricket. But according to Shreevats Goswami, the 2008 Indian Premier League (IPL) Best Emerging Player winner, Virat Kohli ought to have withdrawn from ODIs and kept playing Test cricket.
Goswami’s comments coincide with India’s difficulties in the home Test series against South Africa. The Men in Blue are losing the second and final Test at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium, after they were defeated by 30 runs in the first Test at Eden Gardens. This will be their second home Test series loss in the past 13 months if they lose the second Test, which is highly likely. New Zealand had whitewashed them 0–3 between October and November of 2024.
According to Goswami, his teammates were able to succeed because of Kohli’s enthusiasm and determination while playing for the Indian Test team. The winning mindset and intensity that Kohli has are absent from the current generation of players, according to the former wicketkeeper-batter.
“Ideally, Virat should have stopped participating in ODIs and kept playing Test cricket until he was exhausted. We miss him in Test cricket. In addition to his skill as a player, Goswami inspired the squad think they could win under any circumstances by sharing his enthusiasm, love, and energy while playing for India on social media.
The 36-year-old continued, “This team feels lacking the winning mentality and that fire which was there under Virat Kohli.”
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…
— Shreevats goswami (@shreevats1) November 24, 2025
At an average of 46.85, Kohli concluded with 9230 runs from 123 Test matches.
In the longest format, he amassed 31 half-centuries and 30 hundreds. In terms of games won, the right-handed hitter is also India’s most successful Test skipper.
Starting on Sunday, November 30, the 37-year-old will make his comeback to international cricket during the three-match ODI series against the Proteas.
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