"I miss him": A former cricket player from South Africa discusses Virat Kohli's "early" Test retirement.

The white-ball multi-format series between New Zealand and India is about to begin. The first ODI between the two teams will take place on January 11 at the Kotambi Stadium in Vadodara. A lot of attention would be focused on the veteran batter as the ODI series drew near.

ODI cricket is the only format that Kohli still plays for India after declaring his retirement from Test and T20I cricket. Former South African cricketer Allan Donald took center stage when discussing Virat Kohli's influence on the game and his thoughts on Kohli's decision to retire from Test cricket.

"Virat Kohli is the batter who is most likely to get close. I don't believe I have ever witnessed a player with Virat's level of hunger. I hold him in the highest regard. He is merely a machine. To be honest, I miss him. In the arena of the Test match, I miss him. He still reminds me of an AB (AB de Villiers). You believe he retired too soon. However, we will undoubtedly see him in both the 2027 World Cup and the white-ball arena," Donald stated via ANI.

Allan Donald also shared his thoughts about the 2026 T20 World Cup. India and Sri Lanka will co-host the prestigious competition, which is scheduled to begin on February 7. Allan Donald discussed the outstanding wickets that will be present in the forthcoming tournament.

"I believe that India has the world's best T20 wickets. It doesn't matter to me. Any bowler finds it extremely difficult. Who scored 124 in a powerplay? I've seen it. That's just absurd, really. And I believe it will come down to that once more if you can win the inches from a bowling point of view and carefully and strategically plan your approach," Donald remarked.