Virat Kohli’s achievement as a cricketer is surreal, to say the least. He has taken Indian cricket to greater heights with his batting and captaincy over the years.
Kohli has represented India in 113 Tests, 292 ODIs and 117 T20Is so far, amassing more than 26000 international runs with 80 centuries. He led India in 213 matches across formats and won 135 of them. His success rate as Indian captain is one of the best in the history of cricket.
No wonder, Kohli is considered as one of the finest cricketers of the modern era. The 35-year-old is currently playing for RCB in the IPL 2024, where he is leading the chart of top run-scorers.
As Kohli’s hunger for runs refuses to cease, it's quite natural for fans and experts to ask what keeps him going. The same question was thrown to him at RCB's Royal Gala Dinner in Bengaluru on May 18.
"It's quite simple. I think as a sportsman, we do have an end-date to our careers. So I am just working backwards. I don't want to finish my career thinking 'oh, what if I have done this on that particular day' because I can't keep going on and on forever. So it's just about not leaving any undone business behind and not have any regrets later, which I am sure I won't," Kohli said.
While Virat Kohli has generally remained tight-lipped about his retirement plans, he hinted that he would take a long break after calling time on his cricketing career.
"Once I am done, I will be gone, you won't see me for a while (smiles). So I want to give it everything I have till the time I play, and that's the only thing that keeps me going," Kohli added.
Here’s the video:
After the IPL 2024, Virat Kohli is set to feature in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024, slated to be held in the West Indies and USA from June 1 to June 29. Initially, there were doubts about Kohli's selection for the squad, as reports suggested that selectors were unhappy with his approach in the shortest format.
However, Kohli once again proved his worth, shutting down his critics with consistent performances in the ongoing IPL, having amassed 661 runs in 13 innings at a strike rate of 155.16.