Virat Kohli, who recently announced his retirement from Test and T20I cricket, is now embracing new experiences off the pitch. During the ongoing IPL 2025 season, where he’s playing a key role for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), Kohli was seen playing pickleball with his wife, Anushka Sharma, at the team’s training camp.
The couple wasn’t alone—RCB mentor Dinesh Karthik and his wife, Deepika Pallikal, a renowned squash player, also joined them in the friendly match. This glimpse into their off-field bonding was a refreshing change for fans, especially after the intense spotlight on Kohli’s retirement.
Earlier this year, Kohli and Anushka were seen seeking blessings at religious sites like Vrindavan, Mahakaleshwar Temple in Ujjain, and Neem Karoli Baba’s Ashram in Uttarakhand. Their recent visit to Sant Premanand Govind Sharan in Vrindavan again made headlines across social media platforms.
Kohli’s Emotional Goodbye to Test Cricket
Kohli recently posted on Instagram about his decision to retire from Test cricket, closing a golden chapter that lasted over 14 years. In his statement, he wrote:
“𝑰𝒕’𝒔 𝒃𝒆𝒆𝒏 𝒂𝒏 𝒉𝒐𝒏𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒕𝒐 𝒓𝒆𝒑𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝑰𝒏𝒅𝒊𝒂 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒍𝒐𝒏𝒈𝒆𝒔𝒕 𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒎𝒂𝒕 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒈𝒂𝒎𝒆. 𝑬𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚 𝑻𝒆𝒔𝒕 𝒎𝒂𝒕𝒄𝒉 𝒉𝒂𝒔 𝒃𝒆𝒆𝒏 𝒂 𝒃𝒍𝒆𝒔𝒔𝒊𝒏𝒈. 𝑰 𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒎𝒚 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒅 𝒉𝒆𝒍𝒅 𝒉𝒊𝒈𝒉 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒊𝒎𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒔𝒆 𝒈𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒕𝒖𝒅𝒆.”
Since making his debut in 2011, Kohli played 123 Test matches, scored 9,230 runs, including 30 centuries and 31 half-centuries, and led the Indian team with unmatched aggression and intensity. His 40 Test wins as captain make him the fourth-most successful Test captain in history, only behind legends like Graeme Smith, Ricky Ponting, and Steve Waugh.
Despite stepping away from international formats, he remains an integral part of the IPL and continues to inspire fans with his fitness, passion, and evolving life journey.
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