Virat Kohli won't retire before 40, says his childhood coach

It came as a rather big surprise when India’s skipper and superstar batsman Virat Kohli said that he only had ‘a few years left’ in his career ‘to enjoy the sport’. Kohli made the statement after the first ODI between India and the Windies in Guwahati, which the hosts won emphatically. The captain had himself guided his side to a comfortable victory with a stellar hundred, his 36th in ODIs.

However, many Kohli fans would have been slightly taken aback to hear that their favourite cricketer only had a few years left to play the sport. He made it sound as if he is has begun his retirement plans, with many fearing that the batsman could call it quits as early as after the 2019 World Cup. The batsman is in top form and has been dominating international cricket regardless of opposition, venue and format. He’s been rolling past milestones and records, and it would indeed be a pity to see him retire at an early age.

Nevertheless, these conjectures were put to rest as Virat’s childhood coach said that he would do no such thing. He assured that talks of the batting maestro retiring early are not to be taken seriously. Rajkumar Sharma, Kohli’s coach from his younger days as a cricketer, made it crystal clear that he would not call it a day until he turns 40, adding that fitness is not going to be an issue for the aggressive batsman. He also added that King Kohli has the hunger for runs and is good to carry on for at least another decade.

Kohli to play for next 10 years for India: ex-coach

“I don’t think he wanted to say a few years. You be assured. You will see him playing for India for the next 10 years. He will not retire before the age of 40 as his appetite to make runs will not satiate before that,” Sharma said as per BD Crictime. “He did not want to say that. He wanted to say that he has 5-7 years left to play the game. He is not going anywhere for the next 10 years. There is no injury concern to him,” he added.

Earlier this year, South Africa great and Virat Kohli’s Royal Challengers Bangalore teammate AB de Villiers shocked the world by suddenly hanging up his boots when he was aged just 34. He revealed that the pressure he had to deal with became so unbearable that he lost the desire to even play the next year’s World Cup. However, there are reports that AB could reconsider his retirement and possibly represent South Africa one last time in the 2019 World Cup.

[interaction id=”5bcdaf5a41b46fe54157f5f7″]

Get the latest Cricket News and updates from India vs West Indies series, Match Predictions, Fantasy Cricket Tips and lots more on CricTracker.com.