IND vs AUS: "Played more matches than almost anyone in the last 15 years"- Virat Kohli reveals how test retirement allowed him to spend time with family

Virat Kohli announced his retirement from test cricket in May 2025.

Indian batting legend Virat Kohli has revealed how retirement from test cricket earlier this year helped him to enjoy quality time with his family. He also noted that he was able to enjoy his personal life for the first time in his career.

The right-handed batsman announced his retirement from test cricket in May 2025, a few days after Rohit Sharma retired from the format. Both the legends passed the baton to the youngsters ahead of ICC World Championship (WTC) 2025-27 cycle began. Since Indian Cricket Team had no ODI games scheduled after the conclusion of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 in June, Kohli was able to spend time with his family in London for the last four months.

Kohli has made his comeback to the national team after a long break of seven months in the ongoing ODI series against Australia, having last featured in ICC Champions Trophy 2025 in March. Post retirement from both T20I and test cricket, his next focus would be to play for India in ICC Cricket World Cup 2027.

Being able to spend quality time with my kids and family at home has been a really beautiful phase: Virat Kohli

During an interview with Adam Gilchrist and Ravi Shastri on Fox Cricket ahead of the opening ODI against Australia, Kohli revealed that spending quality time with his family after test retirement was a beautiful phase. He also noted that he was not able to take such a long break over the last 15-20 years.

“Yeah, it’s been a long time off for me since I retired from Test cricket, and as I was saying, I’ve just been catching up on life. I hadn’t been able to do that for so many years. Being able to spend quality time with my kids and family at home has been a really beautiful phase – something I’ve truly enjoyed,” Kohli said.

“To be honest, with the amount of cricket I’ve played over the last 15 to 20 years, I’ve hardly ever taken a real break. I’ve probably played more matches than almost anyone in the last 15 years when you combine international cricket with the IPL. So, this time off was actually very refreshing for me,” he added.

I’m feeling as fit than I’ve ever been: Virat Kohli

Speaking about his fitness, Kohli said that he feels fitter than ever both mentally and physically and just needs to take care of physical preparation.

“I’m feeling as fit – if not fitter – than I’ve ever been. There’s a real sense of freshness when you know the game so well mentally, and it’s just the physical preparation that needs to be looked after. At this stage of my career, I understand that if my body is fit and my reflexes are sharp, the game awareness is already there. My body just has to keep up with it, and that’s something I work hard to maintain,” Kohli added.

Meanwhile, Kohli came up with a dismal performance in his comeback game, getting out for a duck in the first ODI against Australia on October 19 (Sunday) at Perth Cricket Stadium in Perth.

Australia captain Mitchell Marsh won the toss and opted to bowl first in the clash. Kohli, batting at three, lost his wicket to Mitchell Starc in the seventh over. He got a thick outside edge while trying to hit a drive and was caught by Cooper Connolly at point, bagging an eight-ball duck.

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