Virat Kohli has dismissed persistent rumours of his retirement by intensifying his training regime, sending a clear signal that he is not done with international cricket. Despite not featuring in recent Test or T20I series, the 36-year-old batsman is preparing for his comeback on the white-ball tour of Australia in October.
Kohli’s next assignment is a series of three One Day Internationals (ODIs) and five Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is) against Australia. The matches, scheduled for October 19, 23, and 25, will be a key opportunity for Kohli to stake his claim for the 2027 World Cup squad.
Recent reports had suggested that the Australia series could be Kohli’s last, but the former India captain has been working hard to prove otherwise. He was recently seen training for two hours at an indoor batting facility at Lord’s, under the guidance of Naeem Amin. Onlookers noted that Kohli was fiercely motivated, working on both the fundamentals and more complex aspects of his game. He reportedly took throwdowns against both pace and spin, as if he were making his international debut.
Kohli has an impressive ODI record in Australia, with 1327 runs from 29 matches at an average of 51.04, including five centuries. With his return just under two months away, the article concludes that the “King is coming, and he is hungrier than ever.”