Literally, no one can guess how long Virat Kohli will keep playing international cricket, given his fitness, agility and top performance even at the at of 35. However, recently, Kohli recently concluded his T20 International career. He announced his retirement from the shortest format of the game after contributing to India's victory in the T20 World Cup in June 2024. Following Kohli's retirement from T20Is, there has been speculation about his future in Test and ODI cricket. Many believe that he may soon retire from these formats as well.
Virat Kohli can play the next 5-6 years in international cricket: Sanjay Bangar
However, former India all-rounder Sanjay Bangar believes that Kohli has the physical fitness to continue playing international cricket for several more years. In a recent interview, the former India coach expressed his confidence in Kohli's ability to play for the next 5-6 years.
"The kind of fitness Virat Kohli has, the way he works hard, he can play the next 5-6 years in international cricket," Bangar said on the Rao Podcast.
Sanjay Bangar, who was part of the Indian coaching staff during Virat Kohli's captaincy tenure, highlighted Kohli's exceptional level of fitness. Bangar observed that Kohli's dedication to fitness was instrumental in his leadership role.
Bangar also emphasized Kohli's strong desire for India to perform well in overseas conditions. Under Kohli's captaincy, the Indian team achieved significant victories in foreign territories.
"Virat was driven with the fact that India had to improve their performances overseas. Because in India we knew that whether anybody is there or not, with all due respect to the opposition, if you come to India, India is winning 75 per cent of the time. You'll really have to play poorly to lose in India," said Bangar.
"He himself achieved enormous levels of fitness and challenged his physical limits to the hilt. He worked the hardest. I think he scored the maximum runs during that period as a captain and he had that drive," he added.
Kohli has been a prominent figure in international cricket since his debut in 2008. Earlier this month, he represented India in a three-match ODI series against Sri Lanka. Unfortunately, Kohli struggled to find his rhythm with the bat, scoring 24, 14, and 20 in the series. Kohli will have an opportunity to regain form when India hosts Bangladesh for a two-match Test series next month.
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