With England eyeing a dramatic series win against India in the fifth Test at The Oval, senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor voiced what many Indian cricket fans have been thinking: the team dearly missed Virat Kohli.

Taking to X, Tharoor said he had missed Kohli’s presence throughout the series, “but never as much as in this Test match.”

Highlighting the former captain’s “grit and intensity” and “inspirational presence,” Tharoor wondered aloud: “Is it too late to call him out of retirement? Virat, the nation needs you!”

Kohli had surprised fans in May this year by announcing his retirement from Test cricket, bringing the curtain down on a 14-year red-ball career marked by passion, consistency and a fierce will to win.

His farewell post read: “There’s something deeply personal about playing in whites… I’ve given it everything I had.”

Tharoor’s nostalgic call comes as India struggles to seal the series despite England being reduced to 10 fit players.

India were left ruing missed chances in the Oval Test, notably when Mohammed Siraj caught Harry Brook at 19 but stepped onto the boundary cushion, gifting England six runs.

With England already holding a 2-1 lead and chasing yet another big total, Kohli’s absence was felt even more sharply.