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Virat Kohli hinted at his Test retirement as he all but confirmed that the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-2025 was his last Australia tour. Virat Kohli's batting struggles were evident in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy as he failed to capitalise on a century scored in the second innings of the series opener in Perth.
Kohli, at the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) Innovation Lab Indian Sports Summit, regretted not performing in his last Australia tour and admitted experiencing the most intense disappointment in that outing. Throughout the five-match series, Kohli's dismissals followed a recurring pattern, with him consistently chasing deliveries wide outside off stump.
The Australian pace attack, comprising Scott Boland, Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins, and Josh Hazlewood, effectively neutralised Kohli, limiting him to just 190 runs in nine innings.
Australia has historically been a favorable ground for Kohli, renowned for his exceptional performances, such as his centuries in both innings of the 2014 Adelaide Test. However, the 2024-25 tour was nothing short of a nightmare for the India's batting juggernaut who drew a lot of flak for his batting fiasco.
Virat Kohli admits desperation and disappointment in his last Australia tour
Kohli's overall performance in the recent Australia tour was impacted by his struggles, and his final statistics would have been considerably worse had he not scored a century in the second innings of the Perth Test.
Speaking at the RCB Innovation Labs on Saturday, Kohli expressed a sense of acceptance regarding his performance during what he indicated might be his final tour of Australia. He conveyed a feeling of peace with the outcomes, suggesting a mature perspective on his cricketing journey.
“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,” Kohli said.
“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,” the former India captain added.
However, despite hinting at his last Australia tour, Kohli clarified that he is not currently making any formal retirement announcements. He clearly said that his love for the game remains strong, indicating a continued desire to participate in cricket.
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“Don't get nervous. I'm not making any announcements. As of now, everything is fine. I still love playing the game,” Kohli further stated.
Australia defeated India 3-1 in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy which also dashed India's hopes of qualifying for the World Test Championship (WTC) final.
Moreover, it is highly probable that Kohli will not have another opportunity to play a Test series in Australia. The next scheduled tour of Australia is anticipated to take place during the 2028-29 season, which may fall outside his active international career.
“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 concluded.
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