All posts tagged: Virat Kohli retirement

R Ashwin on Virat Kohli’s remarks: ‘Not easy to leave regrets behind’ | Cricket News

R Ashwin on Virat Kohli’s remarks: ‘Not easy to leave regrets behind’ | Cricket News

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3 min readUpdated: May 17, 2026 02:07 PM IST Former India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has backed Virat Kohli following the batsman’s candid remarks about no longer wanting to constantly “prove” himself late into his career. Speaking on his YouTube channel, Ashwin said Kohli had already achieved more than enough in international cricket and should not have to repeatedly justify his place or value after nearly two decades at the top. Kohli, during a recent conversation on the Royal Challengers Bengaluru podcast, had spoken openly about the emotional toll of constantly being judged after every failure. The former India captain admitted he no longer wanted to operate in an environment where one or two poor performances immediately led to questions over his worth. Reacting to those comments, Ashwin strongly supported his long-time teammate. “Virat said, ‘I don’t have to prove my work to anyone,’ and that’s absolutely right. Why, man? I also felt the same. There was nothing left to prove. Whom does he need to prove himself to after playing for so many years and …

‘Them eyes tell u a story…Surely it’s time to rescind his test retirement’

‘Them eyes tell u a story…Surely it’s time to rescind his test retirement’

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Virat Kohli announced his Test retirement ahead of the series against England last year. Although he managed to get a 100 against Australia in Perth, his returns were quite minimal in the tour and the series before that one against New Zealand, too, which did not yield runs as expected from his bat. However, his form in recent series against South Africa has been blistering, and there have been calls from a few former players asking for the return of the 37-year-old back into the format. “Them eyes tell u a story…Surely it’s time to rescind his test retirement. Would love to see him back in Test cricket,” Uthappa wrote on his Twitter account. Alongside Kohli, Rohit too announced his retirement. Uthappa opined that the exit was not natural. “I don’t know if it was a forced surrender, but it definitely didn’t seem like a natural exit. What the truth is, they themselves will have to share in their own time. But I don’t think it was natural,” Uthappa said on his YouTube channel in …

‘Was ok if Virat Kohli retired from cricket, but dissapointing he chose to play ODIs’: Sanjay Manjrekar | Cricket News

‘Was ok if Virat Kohli retired from cricket, but dissapointing he chose to play ODIs’: Sanjay Manjrekar | Cricket News

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Joe Root scored his 41st Test century on Day 1 of the fifth Ashes Test, leaving just the legendary pair of Sachin Tendulkar and Jacques Kallis ahead of him in the list of players with most tons in the nearly 150-year history of the format. Root equalled Ricky Ponting to be joint third on the list, with Tendulkar having scored 51 and Kallis having made 45. Just a day later, though, Steve Smith replied with a century of his own, his 37th overall and 13th in the Ashes, which is the second most for any player. Only the legendary Don Bradman is ahead of him. Former India batter Sanjay Manjrekar said that it is somewhat disappointing that Virat Kohli chose to retire from Test cricket while fellow members of the ‘Fab 4’ Smith, Root and Kane Williamson continue to make waves in the format. “Well, as Joe Root attains new heights in Test cricket, my mind goes to Virat Kohli. He’s walked away from Tests, and it’s unfortunate that in the five years that he …

As BCCI pushes for seniors to play domestic cricket, Virat Kohli says, ‘I’ve never been a big believer of a lot of preparation’ | Cricket News

As BCCI pushes for seniors to play domestic cricket, Virat Kohli says, ‘I’ve never been a big believer of a lot of preparation’ | Cricket News

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After his commanding statement with the bat, Virat Kohli gave one straight and a few subtle clarifications. The nudge-and-wink whispers in the media about seniors – read Kohli and Rohit Sharma – being asked by the BCCI to pull back their Test retirements proved to be wishful thinking. Kohli broke many hearts by saying that he will be sticking to just one-format – ODIs. He also indirectly answered questions floating around Indian cricket for some time. Will he play the domestic 50-over tournament for Delhi, something the selectors want him to do? Can a player based in London just turn up to represent India? He dropped hints and those apt in reading between the lines would have understood. “I’ve never been a big believer in a lot of preparation, if that makes sense. All my cricket has been mental. As long as I feel good mentally, I can play the game,” he told the broadcasters after getting his Player of the Match award. Since he is not a big believer in preparation, will playing for …

Virat Kohli confirms he will only play one form of game for India: ‘That’s how it’s always going to be’ | Cricket News

Virat Kohli confirms he will only play one form of game for India: ‘That’s how it’s always going to be’ | Cricket News

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After Virat Kohli was named the Player of the Match after India’s 17-run victory over South Africa in the first ODI at Ranchi, the talismanic batter reiterated that he had no plans to reverse his retirement in other formats of the game. This was Kohli’s first game for India in many months since he only plays in the 50-over format for India. Despite that, Kohli’s 135-run knock off 120 balls helped India pile on 349 runs while batting first. After the game, when Kohli was picking up his player of the match award, Harsha Bhogle asked him: “The physical aspect is never worrisome. You were running twos like you were a young kid. You were stopping balls on the boundary at long on like you were a young kid. The actual playing of the game, you’re now only playing one form of the game. By the way, is that how it’s always going to be?” To this, Kohli responded: “Yes, that’s how it’s always going to be. I’m just playing one form of the game.” …

Retiring from Tests gave Virat Kohli a focus point, says Australia’s 2003 World Cup hero Andy Bichel | Cricket News

Retiring from Tests gave Virat Kohli a focus point, says Australia’s 2003 World Cup hero Andy Bichel | Cricket News

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Retiring from Test cricket may be a good thing for Virat Kohli, even if that means a vastly reduced time that he can spend on the field as it gives him something focus on, says former Australia fast bowler Andy Bichel. The 55-year-old, who was among the chief architects of Australia’s 2003 World Cup victory, said that stepping away from the longest format has now allowed the 36-year-old Kohli to focus solely in ODI cricket. “I think for someone like Virat he is very fit. He’s going along really well. Obviously, he still wants to play the IPL. RCB won it last year so he’s keen to go back-to-back there and do that,” Bichel told Times of India. “I guess dropping out of Test cricket gives him a focus point, to focus on his 50-over cricket. If he’s scoring well and giving it to the team, like he has been, then you can’t fault him for that,” he continued. “His currency is runs. He just needs to go out there and keep scoring and if …

‘Something I will always remember…’

‘Something I will always remember…’

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England captain Ben Stokes has said that he told Virat Kohli how much the latter will be missed when India embark on a five-Test tour of the country in June. The Indian team that arrives on English shores will be a side in transition with stalwarts Kohli and captain Rohit Sharma both retiring from the longest format earlier this month. England have started their summer of cricket with a four-match Test against Zimbabwe at Trent Bridge, after which they host India for a long, five-Test series. “I texted him saying it’s going to be a shame not playing against him this time. I love playing against Virat. We both have that same mindset on the field – it’s a battle,” said Stokes in a video released by the England and Wales Cricket Board. “What India will miss is his fighting spirit on the field, his competitiveness, his desire to win. He’s made No. 18 his own – we might never see it on the back of another Indian shirt. He’s been class for such a …

‘Virat will walk away’: Ravi Shastri predicts Virat Kohli won’t take coaching or commentary gigs after full retirement | Cricket News

‘Virat will walk away’: Ravi Shastri predicts Virat Kohli won’t take coaching or commentary gigs after full retirement | Cricket News

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Last week, when Virat Kohli retired from Test cricket, it meant that the 36-year-old will only play in the ODI format having retired from the T20I format last year post India’s T20 World Cup win. While it is yet to be seen whether Kohli could play in the 2027 World Cup to be held in South Africa, former Indian coach Ravi Shastri believes once Kohli is done playing cricket, he will walk away from the game and not take any coaching roles or commentary roles. “He is still around to serve Indian cricket in ODIs, but I also know that Virat will walk away from the game once he is done playing cricket. He is not the kind who would like to coach or take on the role of a broadcaster. I will miss him when India plays its first Test in England. He was a champion, and that is what I would like to remember — never conceding an inch,” Shastri wrote in his column for Sportstar. Kohli retired having played 123 Tests amassing …

Virat Kohli and RCB’s love story: Now retired from two international formats, winning IPL title is his last big battle | Ipl News

Virat Kohli and RCB’s love story: Now retired from two international formats, winning IPL title is his last big battle | Ipl News

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Like a happy old couple, Virat Kohli and Royal Challengers Bengaluru have celebrated the good days and survived the bad ones through 18 summers of the Indian Premier League, the essence of their longevity being stability and dependability, rather than blind, flawless love. Now that he has retired from Test cricket and T20Is, his international duties restricted to ODIs, infrequently calendared, Kohli is all RCB’s. And winning the IPL could be the last big battle Kohli would wage in a glorious career. The love for him overflows and overwhelms. Hundreds turned up to watch him bat in the nets when he returned to the Chinnaswamy on Thursday, before the match against Kolkata Knight Riders on Saturday. Thousands, it is widely rumoured, might turn up in white Kohli shirts, an ode to his Test career. Saturday Night Fever would play out at the Chinnaswamy without a break. Traffic snarls would be endless. All to cheer Kohli to fulfil his elusive dream of the IPL crown. All that remains unfulfilled in Kohli’s staggering career is league silverware. …

‘Let’s not panic’: Sanjay Manjrekar urges calm after Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma retirements | Cricket News

‘Let’s not panic’: Sanjay Manjrekar urges calm after Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma retirements | Cricket News

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Former India cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar said that there was no need to panic after the back to back retirements of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli in the space of a week, adding that the Indian team managed to move forward even after the Fab Four, comprising Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman, and Sourav Ganguly, all hung up their boots. “I know there’ll be a few fans concerned. There was a sense of panic when the fab four quit all at the same time, but guess what? A couple of years later, India was the number one Test team in the world,” Manjrekar said on Instagram “So, as long as I believe in this very strongly, as long as the sport is popular in India and there are enough young players, youth, desperate to play for India, and there are thousands in India, which means anybody who sort of comes through that kind of a grind has to be quality talent,” said Manjrekar. Manjrekar also said that when Laxman, Ganguly, Dravid and Tendulkar retired, it …