Considered to be among the greatest-ever cricketers in history, Virat Kohli's absence in the ongoing 2025 Asia Cup is something new for fans. Since making his India debut, Kohli has been a key cog in the squad across formats. But age is catching up, and he is turning 37 later this year. He is not part of the Asia Cup squad, as he announced his T20I retirement last year. Meanwhile, he also retired from Tests in May.
Kohli's fanfare is universal and it wasn't a surprise when Anas Haqqai, a leader of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan and the Taliban movement, revealed that he is also a Kohli fan. He was asked about the recent Test retirements about Rohit Sharma and Kohli, and he remarked that he was surprised by the RCB star's decision.
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Taliban leader drops verdict on Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli's Test retirements
Speaking to Shubhankar Mishra, he said, "Rohit's retirement from Tests was justified. I don't know the cause behind Kohli's retirement. Very few people across the world are that unique. My wish is that he tries to play till he is 50."
{{/usCountry}}Speaking to Shubhankar Mishra, he said, "Rohit's retirement from Tests was justified. I don't know the cause behind Kohli's retirement. Very few people across the world are that unique. My wish is that he tries to play till he is 50."
{{/usCountry}}"Maybe he was frustrated by the media in India. He still had time. You can see Joe Root chasing Sachin Tendulkar's tally of Test runs," he added.
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Kohli still hasn't retired from ODIs, and also holds the record for most tons in the format and is second in the list of most international centuries scored. He is the highest run-scorer in IPL history. He was key for India in their victorious Champions Trophy campaign this year. He also won the 2011 ODI World Cup, 2013 Champions Trophy and 2024 T20 World Cup. During his captaincy, he also led India to the ICC Test mace three consecutive times in 2017, 2018 and 2019.
Kohli has also been compared to Sachin Tendulkar during his glittering career, and is widely regarded as his successor.