Ahead of Virat Kohli’s entry into the BCA Stadium at Vadodara for India’s first ODI of 2026 against New Zealand on Sunday, legendary South African pacer Allan Donald opined that much like AB De Villiers, Kohli retired too early from Test cricket.
Following Virat Kohli’s impervious return to ODIs marked by a stream of roaring innings in Vijay Hazare, many netizens and cricketing legends alike have started raising questions about Kohli’s retirement from the longest format of the game.
The 37-year-old had quit the format after a prolonged poor run spell in the 2024 season where he averaged under 25 across 19 innings. AB de Villiers quit the format at the height of his powers in 2018 at the age of 34. At the time of retirement, de Villiers was the Proteas fourth-highest run-scorer ever, averaging 50.66 with 22 centuries in 114 Tests.
Donald compares Kohli with Sachin
Speaking with ANI earlier today (January 11), Donald said, “If there is one batter who is going to get close to Sachin Tendulkar, it would be Virat Kohli. I don’t think I have ever seen hunger in a player like Virat. I’ve got massive respect for him. He is just a machine. I actually miss him.”
After quitting the format with 9,230 runs in May 2025, Kohli returned to the ODI in October and fell for back-to-back ducks in Australia.
Kohli’s ODI comeback
Post the consecutive ducks, the former Indian captain made a splashing return to the limited overs format of the game with successive international 50s. Kohli registered his comeback by scoring four successive fifty-plus scores in the format against the Aussies and South Africa.
Turning up for the Vijay Hazare Trophy in Bengaluru, Kohli again struck a century and a fifty for Delhi in the tournament. Maintaining that Kohli remains probably one of the few batters in the world who could get close to Sachin’s international records, Donald remained excited to witness Kohli’s upcoming performances in white-ball cricket.
“I miss him in the Test match arena. I still think he’s almost like an AB (AB de Villiers). You think he’s retired too early. But, no doubt we will see him in the white-ball arena and in the 2027 World Cup as well,” Donald told ANI.
Kohli is presently on the field at BMC stadium in Vadodara, where the Blacaps have registered a strong start by scoring 129/2 at the end of 24 overs. Cricket fans across the country remain excited to see ‘the chase master in action’ for the first time in 2026.