There’s a popular saying that time waits for no one. Virat Kohli’s recent picture in London with a fan had gone viral on social media. The star Indian cricketer was seen getting clicked wearing a sweatshirt and a black cap. But what caught everyone’s attention was Kohli’s greying beard, which had more white strands than black.
A few fans failed to recognise him, and that led to speculations that he might be inching closer to announcing his retirement from the 50-over format as well. This might be considered as an overreaction, but it’s not, especially when Kohli had once made a playful connection about his grey beard and his retirement from international cricket.
During an interaction at ex-India cricketer Yuvraj Singh’s event last month, Kohli revealed why he announced his retirement from the longest format.
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“I just coloured my beard two days ago. You know it’s time when you’re colouring your beard every four days-it’s time to relax,” he said.
This made a few fans nostalgic, who emphasized that it was difficult for them to see their favourite cricketer get old.
“White beard, dimming fire, and tired eyes. Yes, that’s Virat Kohli in his latest pic from London. The King has begun to lay down his sword. We’ve probably reached the ending we never wanted to see!” a fan had commented on Kohli’s viral photo.
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“People expected Kohli to come back in whites, but bro’s beard is turning white,” wrote another.
See the post here:
Kohli announced his retirement from the shortest format after helping the team clinch the 2024 T20 World Cup title. Although his retirement from T20Is was much-awaited, not many expected him to retire from Test cricket as well during IPL 2025.
It should be noted here that ex-India spinner and currently the head coach of Delhi’s Ranji Trophy, Sarandeep Singh, had reckoned that Kohli did want to play in the Test series against England when he had played one match of the Ranji Trophy for Delhi earlier this year.
Kohli had a forgetful outing during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series last year, where he could score just 190 runs after playing in all five matches, even though he had smashed a hundred in Perth. There were questions raised about his position in the team as they had lost the series 3-1. But he remained hopeful of his Test future when he played for Delhi during the Ranji Trophy match against Railways.
Virat Kohli will continue to play in ODIs and the IPL. The star RCB batter is supposed to announce his retirement from the 50-over format after the 2027 ODI World Cup.
At the same time, India’s ODI skipper Rohit Sharma too was in the same situation and will aim to end his brilliant international career on a high post the 2027 ODI World Cup.
Both these star players would next be seen in action in the ODI series against Australia, which would be held later this year. Although they were supposed to play against Bangladesh this month, their comebacks to international cricket were delayed since the series was postponed.