Former India captain Virat Kohli has started preparing for his comeback to one-day international cricket. On Friday, the star batter posted a picture during his training session in London. During what seemed to be an indoor net session, Kohli reportedly sought the assistance of Naeem Amin, the assistant coach of Gujarat Titans.
“Thanks for helping out with the hit, brother. Always lovely to see you,” Kohli wrote on his Instagram story, sharing a photo from the session.
Wearing blue shorts and a grey t-shirt, Kohli appeared well-prepared. In anticipation of his return to competitive cricket, it seemed to be one of the first indoor training sessions he had scheduled.
The post followed closely on the heels of a viral photo of Kohli sporting a greying beard. In the picture, taken with a fan, his salt-and-pepper look drew most of the attention, with the grey strands appearing more pronounced. Kohli has carried the same look into his training sessions as well.
It is anticipated that Kohli will be included in the Indian team for the October 19–25 ODI series in Australia. After an August series against Bangladesh was postponed, his ODI comeback was delayed.
The last time the Royal Challengers Bengaluru cricketer participated in professional cricket was in June, when he faced the Punjab Kings in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 final in Ahmedabad. In the championship match, Kohli hit a game-winning 43 to help RCB win their first IPL trophy.
Days after the tumultuous events at the RCB victory parade in Bengaluru, which was ruined by a stampede, Kohli reportedly took a plane to London. While in London, he was seen with his wife, Bollywood actor Anushka Sharma, at a charity function organized by Yuvraj Singh. He also went to the 2025 Wimbledon tournament.
Since the Test tour of Australia earlier this year, Kohli has not played for India. Midway through the IPL 2025 season, he shocked fans by declaring his retirement from Test cricket following a lackluster performance in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Sarandeep Singh, coach of the Delhi Ranji Trophy, claims that Kohli had talked about playing in England during the June–August window but ended his red-ball career before India’s squad was announced.
Kohli had been open about his decision to stop playing Test cricket, jokingly likening it to the growing gray in his beard.
He had already stopped playing T20 internationals during India’s successful June 2024 T20 World Cup campaign. The standout batsman is anticipated to play for India in ODIs until the 2027 World Cup, though.
In the lead-up to the prestigious tournament, which South Africa and Zimbabwe will host in 2027, Kohli will be keen to take advantage of every chance. With a century against bitter rivals Pakistan and a game-winning 84 in the semi-final match against New Zealand, he was at the peak of his game during the previous Champions Trophy. Kohli has scored 275 runs at an average of 45.83 so far in 2025.
In ODIs, Kohli has amassed 14,181 runs, including a record-setting 51 hundreds. He broke the long-standing mark held by Sachin Tendulkar’s 765 runs in the previous World Cup, making headlines.
