ViratKohli

Virat Kohli ends retirement speculation, confirms commitment to Indian cricket

 

India’s maverick batter, Virat Kohli, has ended all speculations regarding his retirement. Kohli made the announcement minutes after Rohit Sharma-led Team India lifted the Champions Trophy 2025 by beating New Zealand by four wickets in the finals.

While Kohli was not specifically asked about retirement, the former Indian skipper indicated that he wishes to play on until he believes the next generation is ready to take command.

 

Wishes to Handover India in Strong Shape

 

Even before asking the question, ex-New Zealand Seamer Simon Doull stated that Kohli would hand over the baton to skilled hands whenever he chose to retire from the game.

Receiving this response, Kohli replied, “Oh, sure. I mean, you know, like Shubman (Gill) said, I try to talk these guys as much as possible, talk about my experiences, and see how I can help enhance their game whenever possible. When you depart, you want to leave the team better. That’s what we are working for. When we finally retire from whatever level, we have a group that’s capable of conquering the world for the next eight to ten years. These guys definitely pose the ability and awareness to do so. They have already come up with impactful performances. Shreyas (Iyer) played exquisitely, KL (Rahul) has been winning games, and Hardik (Pandya) is a match-winner.”

 

Wanted to Bounce Back after Australia Tour

 

Following India’s dramatic victory over the Kiwis, Kohli talked about the team’s desire to bounce back from a disappointing Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia, which lost 1-3. Kohli himself had been off-colour that series, but the Champions Trophy win has taken away some of the disappointment.

“First, we all wanted to come back strong after a rough Australia tour, win a big tournament, and we did. It feels good to be playing with so much talent on the team comprising youngsters. The team is in the right direction,” Kohli added.

 

Senior Players Helping the Next Generation

 

Kohli highlighted the need for veteran players to lead the youngsters. “We are only too glad to assist, to shape our experience, and make a difference whenever we get the opportunity. These lads are rising to the challenge in a huge way, and that’s why we are such a good team.

 

Memorable Tournament Despite Final Disappointment

 

Though he played a poor last game, where he scored one run out of two balls, Kohli played a stunning tournament, scoring 218 runs in five games, including one century and a fifty.

“I believe to win titles, which has been lacking previously, the whole team needs to step up in various games. If you see this tournament, in five games, everybody has made contribution somewhere, and that’s the reason we won,” Kohli said.

He further added, “Players have scored big knocks and played big spells. It’s only a team effort that can get you a title. I am so glad that we play as a team and had fun.”

It is worth mentioning that Kohli has already announced retirement from T20 Internationals following India’s ICC T20 World Cup win in June last year.