Virat Kohli 'misses dressing room' after India beat England, told to 'come back': 'He wouldn't mind No. 3 if Gill…'

A former England cricketer wondered whether Virat Kohli could be persuaded into taking back his Test retirement.

Two tweets in two days now. Virat Kohli seems to be finding his way into the India vs England series even though he has retired from Test cricket. Kohli’s first post on Day 4, which featured just Shubman Gill, was a breath of fresh air. Kohli was nowhere to be seen since attending Royal Challengers Bengaluru's controversial victory parade, had gone into a social media silence, unlike Rohit Sharma, and it felt that he was never going to emerge. Despite five centuries being scored at Leeds, Jasprit Bumrah picking up a five-wicket haul, and Gill's double-century in the first innings at Edgbaston, there was nothing. Silence.

Virat Kohli retired from Test cricket on May 12 this year (AFP)

Until Saturday, when a post assured fans that he was following the series. So what if he is no longer India’s Test cricketer? He is, as many say these days, omnipresent. However, the second post, after India defeated England by 366, was very typical. It reeked of a pattern any other renowned former cricketer would post. Like a Sachin Tendulkar or VVS Laxman. Still. It was a post, nonetheless. Kohli, who had stopped posting on social media about cricket, was finally back in action. "Great victory for India at Edgbaston. Fearless and kept pushing England to the wall. Brilliantly led by Shubman with the bat and in the field, and impactful performances from everyone. Special mention to Siraj and Akash for the way they bowled on this pitch,” he posted.

However, the post got Jonathan Trott thinking. The former England batter felt Kohli’s post perhaps reflected that he misses being part of the dressing room. Having retired from Test cricket at 36 on May 12, there’s still a section of Kohli fans who think… no … 'know' that he will take back his retirement. And it feels like Trott is one of them. He wanted Kohli to take back retirement, return to the format he lived for and made special, and slot back somewhere in India's middle order.

"Coming back to Virat Kohli's tweet, no wonder he misses that dressing room feeling. I sometimes wonder how quickly that feeling comes back after you give up the game. Doesn’t he live in St. John’s Wood or nearby? Can he not be persuaded to come back?" Trott said while talking on the Sony Sports Network. When told that the No. 4 slot is hard to break into now after Gill's mega exploits in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, Trott added, "I’m sure he would have liked No. 5 or 3."

Will Virat Kohli ever consider taking back Test retirement?

Only time will tell whether Kohli would consider taking back his retirement, but the answer most likely is no. He has made the decision after a lot of thought and consideration. A lot of Kohli fans might say, 'My man missed 900 runs, 3 easy centuries' given how easy India's batters are making run-scoring look in England, but at the end of the day, the fact of the matter is that Kohli is no longer the Test batter he once used to be. Nine innings in Australia, all nine dismissals the same. Caught outside the off stump. No improvement. He has been an absolute champion player and a great of the game and will always remain. But Father Time spares no one. It catches up to everybody. Even if your name is Virat Kohli.

If reports are to be believed, Kohli is done with Test cricket once and for all. He has a young family – a daughter who is four, and a one-year-old son. Having given his all to Indian cricket, Kohli has proven himself to be one of its greatest servants. He has achieved it all. Two World Cups, two Champions Trophy wins, and now even the IPL. There’s no need to accelerate when the gears are jammed.

But hey! It’s not over yet. Kohli will still play ODIs. His comeback, which would have taken place in August, may have gotten delayed, but he will wear that blue jersey again when India tours Australia later this year for three ODIs.