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Hundreds of miles away from the BCA Stadium in Vadodara, where India’s ODI side is camped for the home-series opener against New Zealand, and across the Arabian Sea, Virat Kohli’s name surfaced more than once during a brief interaction South Africa great Allan Donald had with Indian reporters on the sidelines of the ongoing SA20.
Donald, who worked closely with Kohli during his stint as Royal Challengers Bangalore’s bowling coach nearly a decade ago, spoke with unmistakable warmth about the former India captain, his hunger, his work ethic, and the void his absence has left in the Test arena.
During his storied career, Donald shared many memorable duels with India’s “Little Master” Sachin Tendulkar, contests that earned “White Lightning” rare admiration from Indian crowds. While Tendulkar went on to become the greatest batter the sport has known, Donald has long believed that Virat Kohli had the potential to take it a step further, driven by an unmatched hunger and work ethic.
“I said it a few years ago, when I was in a room with Hashim Amla, and I mentioned that if there was one batter who could even get close to Sachin, it would be Virat. He probably won’t get there, but Hash looked at me and said, ‘How can you say that?’ It’s just his hunger. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a player with that level of drive. I’ve got massive respect for him. I often talk about him in dressing rooms, especially about being a champion trainer. There’s no one who trains as hard as Virat. He’s a machine,” said Donald on the sidelines of the SA20 match between Paarl Royals and Pretoria Capitals at the Boland Park on Saturday.
With Kohli shattering batting records across formats through his career, the debate over whether he could one day surpass Sachin has long animated fans and experts alike. That conversation, however, has narrowed since Kohli stepped away from T20Is in June 2024 and Tests in May last year, leaving ODIs as his only international format.
Still, Kohli briefly reignited the discussion with two centuries in three matches during the recent home ODI series against South Africa. The challenge ahead, though, is one of time as much as form. With India scheduled to play only a handful of ODIs before the 2027 World Cup, widely expected to be Kohli’s final international assignment, the window to bridge the gap is rapidly shrinking.
Kohli currently has 27,975 international runs, placing him third on the all-time list behind Tendulkar (34,357) and Kumar Sangakkara (28,016), while also trailing his idol by 16 international centuries.
Donald admitted he misses Kohli the Test batter and believes that, much like AB de Villiers, he called time on the format too early.
“I actually miss him. I miss watching him in Test cricket. It feels a bit like AB; you almost think he’s retired too early. But there’s no doubt we’ll see him again in white-ball cricket, especially at the World Cup, very soon,” he added.
The legendary fast bowler, however, went a step further with a special plea, saying he “would love to see Kohli play in the SA20 for one season.”
“That would be amazing,” he added.
