‘Should not have quit based on anger’ – Kapil Dev’s blunt take on Virat Kohli’s Test retirement

Kapil Dev and Virat Kohli. (Photo Source: Twitter)

Legendary Kapil Dev shared his blunt take on Virat Kohli retiring from Test cricket in May 2025 after the Border-Gavaskar series. Kohli’s decision shocked fans as well as experts as he was expected to play a key role during the impending Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy in England.

While Kohli finished with 9230 runs in Test matches, not being able to enter the 10,000-run club. Dev, however, opined that the amount of runs wasn’t important and the former India captain shouldn’t have big farewell to the longest format out of anger.

“It is not about 10,000 runs. I feel he should have given himself six months and not quit based on anger. You will not get the chance to play again, and then you can only talk. When you are playing, don’t make decisions in anger. Maybe he had his own thought process. But if we are sitting out, it feels like had a few more years. If the selectors did not pick him, no problem. Give yourself time, you work hard, go and get more runs. He still has the ability to play Test cricket. He can play even now. But I feel it was a premature retirement,” he said on a podcast with Sports Tak.

Dev said that as long as a player is fit and performing, he shouldn’t be written off. He also mentioned that if the selectors feel that a player is good enough to earn a selection to the national team, the likes of the captain or coach’s views don’t come into account.

“The management is not important. If the selectors decide he is good enough, no need to go to the captain or manager. If the selectors are doing their job right, it is okay. We don’t know what the thought process is. If you are fit and have the ability, and your performance is there, then don’t count the age. If a bad patch comes at this age, everybody writes you off. But if the same bad patch comes for a 25-year-old, we say there is a lot of time.”

Kapil Dev on Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma being removed from captaincy

Dev stated that Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma were removed from their captaincy roles within a short span but their predeceors like Mohammad Azharuddin, Sourav Ganguly, and MS Dhoni led the team for a very long time.

“It seemed in between that why they removed Virat and made Rohit captain, and then removed him and made someone else. But for 20-30 years, nothing like this happened. Azharuddin led for long, Ganguly, Dhoni, all of them have been there for a long time,” Dev said.

Rohit was recently removed as ODI captain despite leading India to the Champions Trophy title in 2025. Suryakumar Yadav also suffered a similar fate in the T20 format, after India’s triumph in the T20 World Cup earlier this year. Dev opined that these changes are fine as long as they were not made on the basis of ego and personal vendetta rather than keeping the best interests of the nation forward.

“I think the selectors know. We judge a bit too fast. On performance, it is fine, if you feel their job is done, it is okay. But if you plan and remove someone, then it is bad. You are playing for the country. Even the selectors are there for the country, not themselves or their ego. The coach also should not have an ego. If there is a loss to the country, it is not fine,” Dev observed.

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