‘Understanding that…’: Virat Kohli opens up about his decision to retire from T20 Internationals

Kohli on his retirement from T20Is

Former India captain and legendary batter Virat Kohli opened up about his retirement fromT20I cricket. After India became the T20I world champion last year in June, he along with Rohit Sharma and Ravindra Jadeja retired from the T20I format .

In a recent podcast with his IPL franchise Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Kohli revealed that he wanted to leave ample time for youngster ahead of the next T20I World Cup, which is scheduled for 2026.

“I do not think things have changed for me in any way. The decision (to leave T20Is) was taken purely understanding that there is a new set of players who are more than ready and they need time, they need a 2-year cycle to evolve, handle pressure, play in different parts of the world, and play enough games to the point where when the World Cup comes, they feel like they are ready,” said Kohli.

Virat Kohli captained for RCB from 2013-2021 but he was unable to lead the team to their first-ever IPL trophy. Under his captaincy, RCB reached the finals in 2016, but unfortunately, the team had to face defeat against Sunrisers Hyderabad.

Talking about his loyalty for the franchise, Kohli said, “The love that I have received from the fans, I do not think any silverware or any trophy can come close to that.”

Virat Kohli is one of the top scorers in this IPL, with 443 runs to his name in 10 innings at an average of 63.29 and a strike rate of nearly 139. RCB is currently in third place on the points table and will face Chennai Super Kings on Saturday, May 3rd, at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium.