‘No Comebacks” meets cricket’s return artists!

Raju Korti
The flutter around Virat Kohli’s supposed Test comeback was brief but intense. Following India’s second home Test series whitewash in a year, whispers surfaced that the BCCI might request him to rethink his retirement from the longest format. The board swiftly rubbished the speculation, yet the broadcaster probed Kohli about it after the Ranchi ODI against South Africa. Kohli responded with a smile and a clear “Yes, and that’s how it’s always going to be. I am just playing one form of the game,” shutting down the theory with trademark candour. His majestic 135 in MS Dhoni’s hometown had revived the old question that tends to follow iconic players. Can cricket afford to let them go or does the sport instinctively look back at them for stability and sparkle.

Bobby Simpson

The idea of summoning a retired great has a storied past. Australia’s Bobby Simpson remains the most celebrated example. Having retired in 1968, Simpson was coaxed back a decade later at the height of the World Series Cricket split. At 41, he returned as captain and struck three centuries against India in the 1977 to 78 series, proving that touch, temperament and experience can occasionally defy time. His comeback remains one of cricket’s gold standard return stories.

England turned to Colin Cowdrey in even more dramatic circumstances. In the 1974 to 75 Ashes, Dennis Lillee and Jeff Thomson were terrorising English batting with pace and menace. Cowdrey, 41 and long retired, was summoned to lend spine to a traumatised team. He walked out at Perth to greet Lillee with the unforgettable line, “Good morning. My name is Cowdrey. Pleased to meet you.” The comeback was more symbolic than triumphant, yet it embodied courage and cricketing spirit in a period of raw intimidation.

There have been other noteworthy returns. Imran Khan came out of retirement in 1987 to lead Pakistan to their first ever Test series win in India, later returning again in 1992 to win the World Cup. Closer home, Sourav Ganguly was effectively retired by selectors in 2005 before forcing a comeback a year later and finishing with impressive consistency. On the other side of the ledger are players whose returns did not quite work. Muhammad Yousuf’s international reappearance never recaptured his earlier fluency and Aravinda de Silva’s brief Test return lacked conviction. These stories reinforce that comebacks can elevate legacies or dilute them depending on timing, form and the competitive landscape.

Colin Cowdrey

Viewed through this lens, Kohli’s clarity appears rooted in self awareness. He remains the fittest and most driven Indian batter of his generation, yet he knows precisely what he wants from the final phase of his career. His white ball numbers still surge and his intense competitive streak remains intact, but the grind of Test cricket is something he has chosen to leave behind. A comeback for sentimental or stop gap reasons has never been his style.

The broader question of returning from retirement carries both promise and peril. The advantages are obvious. A seasoned player brings institutional wisdom, dressing room calm and proven technique. He or she can lift younger teammates and offer stability in turbulent phases. Yet the risks are equally real. The intensity of modern cricket demands peak fitness and unwavering mental sharpness. A returning player must recondition mind and body for pressures they had already stepped away from. Fans and selectors often expect vintage performance, which creates a psychological burden. Team dynamics can shift and the comeback might unintentionally stall the growth of emerging talent.

Cricket’s history shows that comebacks can sometimes rejuvenate teams and redefine careers, yet they work only when the motivation is pure and the player is completely aligned with the demands of the return. Virat Kohli seems to recognise this with rare clarity. For now, his story of reinvention lies firmly in the limited overs arena and the romance of a Test comeback is best left as a passing rumour rather than a real possibility.