‘It would have been better if Virat had quit ODIs…’: Former cricketer’s pain as India struggles in Guwahati Test

Virat Kohli: Following their loss in the Kolkata Test against South Africa, the Indian team's struggles continue in Guwahati. Witnessing the team's dismal performance, former Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) star Sreevats Goswami has recalled Virat Kohli, stating that Kohli should have continued playing Test cricket. It is noteworthy that just before the England tour, former Indian captain Kohli abruptly bid farewell to his Test career, leaving the world astonished. His statement comes at a time when India's batting performance has been quite disappointing. If India loses the second Test, their journey to the World Test Championship final will become extremely difficult.

'His Absence is Felt in Test Cricket'

Sreevats posted on X, writing, "It would have been better if Virat had quit One Day International cricket and continued playing Test cricket until he had nothing more to give. His absence is felt in Test cricket. Not just as a player, but the energy he brought, the love and passion while playing for India, where he convinced the team that they could win under any circumstances."

Last Test Series Was Quite Poor

Kohli's last Test series was the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, which was not a tour to remember for him. Apart from one century in the series, the former Indian captain struggled against Australian bowlers. 8 out of 10 times, he fell prey to deliveries outside the off-stump.

Although Kohli participated in a Ranji Trophy match for Delhi against J&K at the beginning of this year, indicating his readiness for long-format Test cricket, he surprised the world by retiring from Tests in May, following in the footsteps of Rohit Sharma.

South Africa Holds a Lead of 395 Runs

Speaking of the match, after taking a first-innings lead of 288 runs, South Africa had scored 107 runs for the loss of three wickets by the end of the first session on the fourth day, giving the visiting team control of the second Test against India. Tony de Zorzi is batting at 21 and Tristan Stubbs at 14. The visiting team's total lead has now extended to 395 runs.