South African pace bowling great Allan Donald has expressed his belief that Indian batting maestro Virat Kohli stepped away from Test cricket slightly ahead of time. However, Donald remains confident that Kohli's fierce determination will drive him to continue in white-ball cricket, with a target of the 2027 ODI World Cup.
Donald's High Praise for Kohli's Relentless Drive
Speaking during a select media interaction at the ongoing SA20 league, Donald drew from his personal experience working with Kohli during his tenure as the bowling coach for Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the 2014 and 2015 IPL seasons. He highlighted the former Indian captain's unparalleled work ethic as the foundation of his success and longevity.
"I don't think I've ever seen hunger in a player other than Virat. I've got massive respect for him," Donald stated. He frequently references Kohli's training regimen in team dressing rooms as the gold standard. "I often talk about it in the dressing rooms about being a champion trainer. There's no one that trains as hard as him. He is just a machine," the Proteas legend added.
Early Test Exit, But White-Ball Future Bright
Donald admitted to missing Kohli's presence in the longest format of the game. "I actually miss him in the Test match arena. I think he's retired too early," he remarked. Despite this sentiment, Donald has no doubts about Kohli's immediate future in limited-overs cricket. "I look with no doubt we will see him in the white-ball arena in the World Cup very, very soon," he asserted, pointing towards the upcoming ICC events.
South Africa's Prospects for the T20 World Cup 2026
Shifting focus to his home nation, Allan Donald also shared his thoughts on South Africa's preparations for the forthcoming T20 World Cup, which is scheduled to be co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka. He believes the Proteas have selected a robust and well-rounded squad that has the potential to make a deep run in the tournament.
"It's going to be a heck of a tournament in India. South Africa picked a very strong squad," Donald said, acknowledging the perennial debates around team selection. He emphasized the challenge for bowlers on Indian pitches, citing high IPL scores. "I think India have got the best T20 wickets on the planet. It's just so hard for any bowler... I've seen it in the IPL with scores 124 in a power play. That's just where the skill of batting has gone."
Donald concluded that bowling strategies would be crucial, stating, "If you can win the inches from a bowling point of view and plot your way very carefully and smartly, then it's going to come down to that again. So, I hope to see South Africa in the final as well."
