Team India batsman Virat Kohli, who retired from Test cricket earlier this year, revealed that the break allowed him to spend quality time with his family.
He also labelled the period as a “beautiful phase” of his life, where he spent quality time with the family.
While speaking to Ravi Shastri and Adam Gilchrist on Fox Cricket, Kohli said, “It`s been a long time off for me since I retired from Test cricket. And yeah, as I was just saying, just catching up on life. You know, I haven`t been able to do anything for the last, I don`t know how many years. And yeah, just being able to spend some time, some quality time with your kids, with family at home. It`s been a beautiful, beautiful phase and something that I`ve really enjoyed”.
The veteran also retired from the shortest format of the game after Team India`s T20 World Cup 2024 triumph. Currently, he is playing just one format in international cricket, One-Day Internationals (ODIs).
The ongoing ODI series against Australia is also Kohli`s first appearance for Team India since the Champions Trophy 2025 triumph. Later, he also won the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 title with Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB).
Currently in 303 ODIs and 291 innings, with 14,181 runs at an average of 57.64, 51 centuries and 74 fifties, Kohli is the third-highest run-getter of all time. He is just 54 runs away from becoming the second-highest run-getter in ODIs, overtaking Sri Lankan legend Kumar Sangakkara (14,234 runs in 404 matches)
Currently, Virat Kohli (51 tons in ODIs) and Sachin Tendulkar (51 in Tests) are equal owners of record for most centuries by a batter in a single format. One more century would mark his 52nd century in ODIs, marking the most centuries by a batter within a single format.
However, the Delhi-born cricketer endured a poor outing with the willow during the first ODI match against the Aussies at the Optus Stadium in Perth. Facing eight balls, the right-hander returned to the pavilion on a duck. The second ODI match between India and Australia is scheduled to be played on October 23 at the Adelaide Oval.
(With ANI Inputs)