Marking his return to international cricket for the first time since the conclusion of the ICC Champions Trophy, Virat Kohli made his intentions clear amid doubts over his continuity in ODIs, the only format in which he remains an active cricketer. Speaking to Ravi Shastri and Adam Gilchrist in a candid pre-match setup, Kohli justified his decision to retire from T20Is and Tests, saying he has played the most international cricket across the world over the last 15 years. When asked about his absence from the game in the last few months, Kohli didn’t hesitate to put family before profession at this stage in his career.
“Well, to be honest, given the amount of cricket I’ve played over the last 15-20 years, I’ve actually not rested at all, if that makes sense. I’ve probably played the most number of games in the last 15 years in international cricket, including the IPL as well. So for me, it was a very refreshing time off.”
While many experts and pundits believed Kohli’s fitness was a concern ahead of his return to competitive cricket, the 36-year-old said that he was feeling ‘fitter than ever,’ adding that it’s all about physical preparation because mentally, he knew ‘what to do.’
“I’m feeling as fit, if not fitter than I’ve ever been before, and yeah, you can just feel the freshness when you know you can play the game, and mentally you know what to do out there; it’s just the physical preparation that really needs to be taken care of,” he added.
“At this stage, I realised that if my body is fit, if my reflexes are there, then the game awareness is already there; my body has to match up with it, and that’s something that I try to keep up with. I live my life like that and, yeah, no issues at all. I’m feeling fresh here coming into Australia and moving really well in the nets and in the fielding sessions as well, so all good so far,” Kohli remarked.
Virat Kohli Scores Seven-Ball Duck on Return
As Kohli returned to international cricket, expectations were high for him to deliver with the bat and put the chatter around his future to bed. However, the batter departed for a seven-ball duck, potentially triggering an even more intense round of questions over his continuity in the format.
VIRAT KOHLI GONE FOR A DUCK!#AUSWIND pic.twitter.com/cg9GbcMRAE
— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) October 19, 2025
Kohli announced his T20I retirement last year following India’s victory at the ICC T20 World Cup. Earlier this year, he also retired from Test cricket, putting an end to a memorable and remarkable career.
With IANS Inputs
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