Virat Kohli explains why Test cricket is 'everything' for him: 'It's history, I am a...'

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Virat Kohli is set to return to action for the first time after World Cup 2023 as India take on South Africa in a 2-Test series starting December 26.

Kohli took a break from white-ball cricket after India's defeat in the final of the World Cup 2023 against Australia. India locked horns with Australia in a 5-T20I series after the ICC marquee event, and then played three T20I and ODI matches each in South Africa.

In a video posted by Star Sports ahead of the Boxing Day Test, Virat Kohli has opened up on his love for Test cricket. He called Test cricket the foundation of the game.

The 35-year-old, who recently became the first batter to hit fifty ODI hundreds, conceded that satisfaction of playing a long innings and winning a Test match for a team gives a satisfaction of different levels.

"Test cricket for me is the foundation of the game. It's history. It's culture. It's heritage. It's everything. You come out on the other side after four-five days, it's a different feeling from anything else that you've experienced. As an individual, as a team, the job satisfaction of having played a long innings and winning your team a Test match is a special feeling.

"I am a traditionalist so playing in whites, playing Test cricket is everything. Really honoured to play more than 100 Tests for the country and pursue my dream of becoming a Test cricketer," Kohli said in a video uploaded by Star Sports.

It has been reported that Kohli has returned home due to a family emergency, just days before the start of the first Test against South Africa.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) sources, however, have confirmed that the iconic batter will be back in time for the first Test, which begins on December 26, against the Proteas in Centurion.