Is Virat Kohli considering retiring from test cricket? Insights from his recent conversation with Rahul Dravid suggest so

New Delhi: Virat Kohli revealed that he recently had a meaningful discussion with former India head coach Rahul Dravid regarding the timing of his retirement and his future goals. Despite this, Kohli firmly denied any rumors or speculations about his retirement from international cricket. He admitted that there was a point where he felt the necessity to seek Dravid's advice on this pivotal decision in his cricketing career.

Kohli acknowledged that he had conversations with Dravid regarding the right moment for his eventual retirement, reflecting a considered and strategic mindset for the final phase of his career. Dravid encouraged Kohli to assess his current life situation.

“The competitive streak doesn’t allow you to find the answer [for retirement]. I had a very interesting conversation with Rahul Dravid. He said you always have to stay in touch with yourself. Figure out where you are placed in your life, and the answer is not that easy,” Kohli said at the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) Innovation Lab Indian Sports Summit.

“If you ask me the intensity of how disappointed I’ve been… for me the most recent Australia tour would be the one that’s most fresh. So, it might feel the most intense to me. But I can’t look at it that way. I might not have an Australia tour again in me in four years’ time. I don’t have the chance to correct it. So you have to make peace with whatever’s happened in your life. Like in 2014 (against England) I still had the chance to go in 2018 and do what I did. It might not have been the case,” he added,” Kohli further stated.

“Once you start thinking of the disappointment from the outside, then you start burdening yourself way more. That’s something that I’ve surely experienced in Australia as well. Because I got a good score in the first Test. I thought, right, let’s go. There’s going to be another big series for me. It didn’t turn out that way. How do you cope up with this? For me, it’s just about acceptance. This is what happened. I’m going to be honest with myself,” Kohli continued.

In conclusion, he clarified that he will not be making any announcements in the near future and expressed his continued passion for playing the game.

“Don’t get nervous. I’m not making any announcements. As of now, everything is fine. I still love playing the game. It pretty much comes down to just the pure joy, enjoyment, competitive streak, and love for the game. And as long as that is there, I will continue to play. As I said today, I am not playing for any achievement,” Kohli concluded.