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Team India star Virat Kohli made his international comeback after seven months in the first ODI against Australia at the Perth Stadium in Perth on Sunday, October 19. Kohli, who last played for India in the Champions Trophy 2025, quit Test cricket earlier this year and enjoyed a long break with his family in London after winning the IPL 2025 title with the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB).
Having already retired from T20Is last year, Kohli, who only plays ODIs now, had no international assignments with Team India and got a chance to spend quality time with his family during his time away from the game. While he last played for India in March this year, Kohli last played competitive cricket in the IPL 2025.
He enjoyed a five-month-long break from all forms of cricket before returning to action against Australia in the first ODI on Sunday. Opening up on the break and his decision to spend time with his wife Anushka Sharma and family in London, Kohli said the break allowed him to catch up on life and spend time with his loved ones, describing the phase as fulfilling.
"Yeah, it’s been a long time off for me since I retired from Test cricket, and as I was saying, I’ve just been catching up on life. I hadn’t been able to do that for so many years. Being able to spend quality time with my kids and family at home has been a really beautiful phase — something I’ve truly enjoyed," Virat Kohli said on Fox Cricket ahead of the first ODI between India and Australia in Perth.
"To be honest, with the amount of cricket I’ve played over the last 15 to 20 years, I’ve hardly ever taken a real break. I’ve probably played more matches than almost anyone in the last 15 years when you combine international cricket with the IPL. So, this time off was actually very refreshing for me," he added.
Kohli enjoyed a terrific campaign in IPL 2025 as he went on to lift his maiden title with RCB. The star batter scored 657 runs in 15 matches at an average of over 54 and a strike rate of 144.71 to finish as the highest run-getter for his team. He was the third-highest run-getter in the season overall, behind only Suryakumar Yadav and Sai Sudharsan.
Kohli also addressed concerns regarding his fitness, stating that he feels he is currently the fittest that he has even been. There were question marks over Kohli's fitness standards after he didn't land in India for the mandatory fitness tests ahead of the Australia series. Kohli reportedly underwent the physical assessment in London.
The star Indian batter revealed mentally he was locked in and knew he needed to be in the zone ahead of his much-awaited international comeback. However, he needed to ensure his body was physically up there to support him at this stage of his career.
"I’m feeling as fit — if not fitter — than I’ve ever been. There’s a real sense of freshness when you know the game so well mentally, and it’s just the physical preparation that needs to be looked after. At this stage of my career, I understand that if my body is fit and my reflexes are sharp, the game awareness is already there. My body just has to keep up with it, and that’s something I work hard to maintain," said Kohli on his fitness.
Kohli had a disappointing outing on his return for Team India after seven months, as he departed on a duck in the 1st ODI against Australia in Perth on Sunday. Kohli was dismissed on an 8-ball duck by left-arm pacer Mitchell Starc, who became only the second bowler after James Anderson to have dismissed Kohli on a duck twice across all formats in international cricket.
