Former Chennai Super Kings (CSK) batter Suresh Raina believes that Virat Kohli retired from T20Is too early and could have easily continued playing until 2026. The Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) star stepped away from the shortest format at the international level after India’s victory in the 2024 T20 World Cup.
Kohli ended his T20I career on a high with a Player of the Match performance in the final against South Africa. He called it the right time for youngsters to take over, a move that has worked well under Suryakumar Yadav’s captaincy. India’s key challenge after his exit was finding a new No. 3 batter.
Suryakumar briefly filled the position before Tilak Varma impressed with a string of strong performances, making a strong case for the role. As India gears up to defend the T20 World Cup at home next year without veterans like Kohli, Rohit, and Jadeja, a younger squad is taking shape. Still, Raina believes Kohli retired too soon and had more to contribute in T20Is.
“I still think that Virat Kohli retired early from T20I cricket. He could have played until 2026, based on the rhythm with which he is playing right now, and the rhythm during the 2025 Champions Trophy as well. The way he has maintained his fitness, he looks like he is at his peak still,” Raina said on Star Sports.
“Kept It Simple and It Worked” – Virat Kohli on RCB’s Win Over RR
Virat Kohli led RCB’s fightback at home in IPL 2025 with a brilliant 70 off 42 balls, helping set a total of 205/5 against RR on April 24. Despite RR’s strong start, RCB‘s bowlers turned the game around in the second half to clinch an 11-run win.
“There’s pace and bounce on offer in the first three-four overs, but today, we didn’t rush things. We kept the things going in a straightforward fashion and it worked.”
“205 turns out to be a winning total, but that’s the tricky thing! But, now, since we’ve got the runs, we can hopefully get 15-20 more runs too going forward. This is a special place to play an IPL game, and we love it giving these fans a win in front of them,” Kohli said during the post-match presentation.
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