India’s two most experienced players, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, formed the backbone of Men in Blue during their Champions Trophy 2025 campaign. During the tournament, there was a lot of chatter about whether the veteran duo would announce their retirement after the final match in Dubai. While Rohit Sharma had already stated that he wasn’t going to retire, Virat Kohli more or less also confirmed that he had no intention of quitting the 50-over format just yet.
However, Kohli talked about retirement from ODI cricket and the legacy he eventually wants to leave behind for the younger generation after the Champions Trophy 2025 win.
Speaking after the match to Simon Doull about leaving Indian cricket in able hands when he eventually retires, Kohli said, “Well…For sure. I try to speak to these guys as much as possible, share my experience about my longevity. I try to step in wherever I can to help improve their games. When you want to leave, you want to leave the game in a better position. That’s what we are striving for.”
The Indian veteran batter added, “Then, eventually, when we are finally done at whatever stage, we have a squad that is ready to take on the world, dominate for 8-10 years. These guys have the game to do so.”
Virat Kohli during ICC Champions Trophy 2025
Coming into the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, Kohli was woefully out of form and the target of much criticism. However, the veteran batsman showed exactly why he is regarded as one of the greatest players to play the game when he smashed an unbeaten 100 against Pakistan in India’s second Champions Trophy match. Kohli followed up that innings with an 84-run knock against Australia in the semi-final.
Overall, the Indian opener was the tournament’s fifth-highest run-scorer, with 218 runs at an average of 54.50 and a strike rate of 82.88.
So far, Kohli has been part of four winning Indian teams in ICC tournaments, including the 2011 ODI World Cup, the 2013 Champions Trophy, the 2024 T20 World Cup and the 2025 Champions Trophy.
