 "Virat Kohli announced retirement from Test cricket ahead of the new WTC cycle. Image: Reuters")
Former Australia captain Michael Clarke has made a bold prediction about Indian cricket star Virat Kohli . Clarke believes that Kohli might return to Test cricket if India perform poorly in their upcoming series in England. India are slated to play a five-match Test series against England, starting on 20 June.
Kohli announced his retirement just days before the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) confirmed the squad for the Test series. Before Kohli, Rohit Sharma stepped down from the longest format, saying he will only be available for ODI games from now on. The same goes for Kohli, who had retired from T20Is last year.
Clarke makes big prediction on Kohli
Speaking on the Beyond23 Cricket podcast, Clarke said that if India lose the series badly then fans and selectors might want Kohli back in the Test team.
“I believe this. If India go to England and get flogged, if they lose the series 5-0 for example, I think the fans will want Virat Kohli to come out of retirement and play Test cricket again. And I honestly, I think if he was asked by the captain, selectors and supported by fans, if they get beaten big time in England, I think he’ll come. He still loves Test cricket. I think his words, I think those words, like you could hear his passion for Test cricket is real,” Clarke said.
“He (Virat) sees it as the pinnacle and he’s still playing good enough cricket. He definitely made the decision to retire and whatever his reasons are, everybody comes to that time in their career. If that’s the case, then so be it. But if they don’t perform, if they get beaten, like I say, 5-0 in England, which I don’t think they will. I think they can still win in England, even without Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. I think this Indian squad is a good squad,” he added.
It is unlikely that Kohli would come back because he made a clear decision to retire from Test cricket at a time when he was still performing well across formats. After winning his maiden IPL title with Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Kohli said that the IPL 2025 victory would still be five levels below Test cricket for him.