Ex-Indian Cricketer Feels Virat Kohli Could’ve Dominated Test Cricket for 4-5 More Years

Harbhajan Singh tipped Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma will exceed expectations in the three-match ODI series against Australia later this month.

Ex-Indian Cricketer Feels Virat Kohli Could’ve Dominated Test Cricket for 4-5 More Years

Virat Kohli announced his retirement from Test cricket, earlier this year. (via SportsTak)

🔍 Explore this post with:

ChatGPTPerplexityGrok AIGoogle AI

Former Indian cricket icon Harbhajan Singh shared his excitement on getting to witness Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma back in action, in the three ODIs against Australia. Lavishing praise on Kohli, he suggested that the batter could have dominated Test cricket, had he not announced his retirement. 

Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma will be back in the fold of the Indian team for the upcoming white-ball tour to Australia. The duo has been out of action for a while now, having last played for the Men in Blue during the team’s victorious 2025 ICC Champions Trophy campaign in the UAE. They will now enter a changed dressing room atmosphere, with Shubman Gill having taken over as India’s leader in the 50-over format.

Both veterans will be aiming to keep their place in the ODI setup and remain in contention for the 2027 ODI World Cup, despite concerns over their age and fitness. Kohli cleared the mandatory pre-season fitness test in London, and has rejoined the team for training ahead of the Australia series. Ex-India spinner Harbhajan Singh insisted that no doubts should be raised regarding the 36-year-old’s fitness, even though he has retired from two of the three formats of the game.

Speaking on JioHotstar, Singh surprisingly called Kohli his ‘guru’ in terms of fitness, and added that he is even fitter than some of the younger players in the team. Regarding the RCB icon’s future with the Indian ODI setup, Singh stated that Kohli should continue representing India in the 50-over format for the next several years, stressing that he still has much to contribute with his batting in ODIs.

When it comes to fitness, he [Virat Kohli] is a guru… He’s arguably the fittest player out there. I’d love to see him continue playing the ODI format for a while longer because he still has so much to offer.

Singh also spoke about Kohli’s retirement from the longest format earlier this year, suggesting that he could have played longer and dominated world cricket for four to five years. The 45-year-old specifically predicted that Kohli would score at least two centuries in Australia. The 36-year-old has scored 1,327 runs in 29 matches Down Under at an average of 51.03, including five hundreds and six fifties. 

When he [Virat Kohli] retired from Test cricket, I genuinely felt he still had four to five years left in him, not just to play, but to dominate, because that’s the kind of batter he is.

Once the white-ball tour to Australia comes to an end, Kohli and Sharma will return to action against South Africa, next month. The Men in Blue will face the Proteas in an all-format series, which will include two Tests, three ODIs and five T20Is, starting November 14.

Shubman Gill catches up with Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli ahead of India’s Australia tour

Days after being appointed as India’s new ODI captain, Shubman Gill is now preparing for his first major leadership assignment in the 50-over format, against Australia. The Men in Blue are currently en route Down Under for a three-match ODI and five-match T20I series, starting October 19. 

Shubman Gill greets Virat Kohli Rohit Sharma
New Indian ODI captain Shubman Gill greeted Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli ahead of the Australia tour. (via NDTV Sports)

In a video shared by the BCCI, the squad members were seen boarding a team bus, which made its way to the Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi. The likes of players like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and vice-captain Shreyas Iyer arrived in Delhi a few days ago, while several players stayed on, after the end of the second Test match against the West Indies at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, in the city.

The first scene in the video showed Gill greeting Sharma in the lobby of the hotel. The two opening batters shared a warm hug and a few words, before getting onto the team bus. The 26-year-old Indian captain then shook hands with Kohli, who was seated in the front row on the bus alongside Iyer. All of them will be a part of the leadership group, for the three ODIs against the Aussies. 

Meanwhile, BCCI vice-president Rajeev Shukla cleared the air surrounding Kohli and Sharma’s future with the Indian ODI team, amid speculation that the Australia tour might be their last major outing away from home. Shukla suggested that it is upon the players to decide when to retire.

Also Read: