Virat Kohli is here to stay: Retirement not on the horizon for the Indian cricket star

Kohli had just finished a triumphant Champions Trophy campaign with both personal and team success. Following his outstanding century against Pakistan, he mentioned that he was in desperate need of some rest before the next match. At the age of 36, Kohli emphasized the importance of taking a break, stating, "A week off is crucial for me. It requires a tremendous amount of effort to perform at my best."

That Kohli could be out of form or runs was acceptable, but that he could be tired and not the supreme fitness machine he has been, set tongues wagging.

In a session moderated by former England bowler Isa Guha, Kohli spoke on a range of topics, but it was his ‘don’t get nervous’ that drew the most positive reaction. He didn’t shy away from relieving some of his lows though.

“If you ask me the intensity of how disappointed I've been, for me the most recent Australia tour would be the one that's most fresh. So it might feel the most intense to me,” Kohli reflected. “Because I got a good score in the first Test. I thought, ‘Right, let's go. There's going to be another big series for me.’ Didn’t turn out that way.

"For me it's just about the acceptance of, ‘Okay fine. This is what happened. I'm going to be honest with myself. Where do I want to go? What is my energy levels like?’ I'm not sitting here in 48 hours or 72 hours’ time to make a decision. Let me go, spend time with family. Let everything calm down, and see how I feel in a few days. Within five-six days, I was excited to go to the gym. I was like, okay fine. It's all good.”

The fallout from that Australia tour saw a whole raft of stricter regulations put in place for Indian teams during series, but one thing Kohli batted firmly for was the presence of family on tour.

“It's very difficult to explain to people how grounding it is to just come back to your family every time you have something which is intense, which happens on the outside,” Kohli explained. “I don't think people have an understanding of what value it brings. And I feel quite disappointed about that because it's like people who have no control over what's going on are kind of brought into conversations and put out at the forefront that, ‘Oh, maybe they need to be kept away.’ If you ask any player, do you want your family to be around you all the time, they’ll be like, ‘Yes!’”

Kohli also spoke extensively about leadership, and the ability to handle different individuals. “If I tell Mohammed Shami, ‘You're going to take care of this group (of bowlers) for the next two months.’ He's going to say, ‘Thank you very much. It was lovely playing with you’. If you tell Jasprit Bumrah that, he'll be like, ‘Yeah, sure.’

“But if I tell Shami, you know what, the ball is in your hand. I want you to run in. Eight-over spell. Bowl like it's the last spell of your life, of your career. He'll bowl a spell which will lovely to watch. You can give them motivation to be their best version.”

Kohli retired from T20 Internationals after India’s World Cup win, and the only thing that could entice him back is a shot at Olympic gold, with cricket set to be a part of the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. When asked by Guha if he could be coaxed out of retirement, Kohli quipped, “Maybe if we are playing for gold medal, I just might sneak in for one game. Get a medal and come back home!”

The laughter afterwards said that this was only tongue-in-cheek. Luckily for the legion of Kohli followers across the world, he was in earnest when he said that any other retirements are not on the cards for now.

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