Like McEnroe: Kapil Dev’s candid take on Virat Kohli’s aggression, Test exit

Kapil Dev, the former World Cup-winning captain, has admitted he was pained to see Virat Kohli make an early exit from Test cricket, suggesting the talismanic batsman may have taken a momentous decision in a fit of anger. Speaking candidly in a podcast for SportsTak, Kapil expressed his deep disappointment at the timing of Kohli’s exit and claimed that the former captain still has the ability to make it at the highest level of red-ball cricket.

The legendary all-rounder also drew a striking parallel between Kohli’s famously combative persona on the court and tennis icon John McEnroe, noting that both athletes need a sense of conflict to perform at their best.

“It’s not about 10,000 runs,” said Kapil, reflecting on Kohli’s sudden retirement, which left him 770 runs short of the milestone.

“I felt if he didn’t get carried away with his anger for six months and give himself another chance to play for India… because once you stop playing for India, you don’t get that opportunity again. After that, you can only talk about it.”

Kohli’s test retirement was a shock to the cricketing fraternity, catching many by surprise just weeks before India’s 2025 to 2027 World Test Championship cycle begins. The timing was particularly jarring given that the star batsman had only recently returned to the domestic Ranji Trophy to signal his renewed commitment to the longest format, following a bruising tour of Australia earlier in 2025. Reports at the time suggested that the selectors informed Kohli that his place was no longer guaranteed and that his place in the side for the subsequent tour of England would depend entirely on current form.

“Virat Kohli’s Aggression Was Like John McEnroe”
“I wasn’t happy when he retired from Test cricket, he could have given himself more time to get over his anger and pain.
“Virat Can Still Play Test Cricket”
“Nobody should question their age as long as Rohit and Virat stay. pic.twitter.com/Pn2IW9lBFA— Vikrant Gupta (@vikrantgupta73) July 4, 2026

Kohli later indicated that he had decided to walk gone rather than stay in an environment where he felt constant pressure to prove his worth despite his glittering heritage.

Still, Kapil believes top athletes should defend themselves with definitive decisions while facing administrative friction. He pointed to Indian cricket history to show how past legends handled similar crossroads.

“When you are still playing, don’t make such decisions or react in anger,” explained Kapil.

“I think he must have had his own thought process and rightly so, that he can do it. But when we sit out and look at it, we feel he still had time. If the selectors didn’t pick you, no problem, take your time. If the captain didn’t pick you, no problem, work hard and score more runs like Mohinder Amarnath, Anshuman Gaekwad and others scored. They scored home cricket and others.

“Just like you play in the IPL or when you play in other tournaments, you come back because he still has the ability to play Test cricket. It’s not like he hasn’t played. Even now, if you look at him, he can play. But he made a decision and I was a bit disappointed that he took it before his time.”

REMINDS ME OF MCENROE: KAPIL

With Kohli’s explosive temperament in mind, Kapil admitted that while the batting’s high-octane celebrations may seem over-the-top at times, they are necessary for his genius.

“The only thing that’s a bit strange is that it’s too loaded,” Kapil noted.

“But when I look at Virat, he reminds me of John McEnroe because until he was fighting, he couldn’t perform at his best. I wasn’t like that.”

Kapil contrasted this confrontational style with the calm, head-down approach of batting purists like Rahul Dravid, Sunil Gavaskar and Sachin Tendulkar, who let their performances do the talking.

“Then there are some players in the sport who thrive on challenges,” Kapil added.

“That’s why I took the name McEnroe. He was always fighting, whether it was with the referee. I could never do that. I was never able to do that. But it was nice to watch. You’d be like, ‘Look at that fire in him.’ Even when you look at Virat, sometimes you feel that he should calm down a bit, take it easy. But maybe he feels that when he shows that aggression, his performance is better. If so, why not?”

– The end

Issued by:

Akshay Ramesh

Published on:

05 Jul 2026 11:43 IST