Virat Kohli sends loud and clear message to BCCI all the way from Lord's amid endless retirement chatter

It has been a long time since Virat Kohli was last seen in action – 81 days to be precise. He wasn't part of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy in England, having announced his retirement from Test cricket a month prior to the start of the series, and won't be featuring in the Asia Cup either, considering he had bid adieu to the T20Is last year itself. Kohli's next assignment is a white-ball tour of Australia, where the Indian team will play three ODIs and five T20Is. All eyes will be on Perth, Adelaide and Sydney on October 19, 23 and 25 as Kohli returns to his favourite format in a bid to push his case for the 2027 World Cup and prove that he is far from washed up. Virat Kohli promises to come back with a bang!(AFP)

At 36, Kohli has more cricket behind him than in front. But whatever more he has to offer, Kohli will ensure it's on par with the standards he has set for himself. Yes, he may no longer have been the same force in Tests that he once was, he may no longer be able to produce an epic like the 82 not out against Pakistan at the MCG in T20Is, but boy, the guy is still capable of acing a run-chase or setting one in ODIs. A few months ago, India would have struggled to win the ICC Champions Trophy had it not been for his century against Pakistan and a feisty and gritty 84 against Australia in a tricky run chase.

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Hence, in order to prepare for his much-awaited comeback, Kohli is going all guns blazing. A couple of weeks ago, Kohli shared his first glimpse of returning to cricket when he shared a picture with the Gujarat Titans assistant coach after a productive 'hit-out' session. This came shortly after a report had claimed that the Australia series could be Kohli's last ever for India. Kohli, in his own way, shut the noise, but now, as they are once again gaining steam, the former India captain, very subtly, has sent another indirect yet loud message to the BCCI. He is not done.

A report in RevSportz claims that earlier this week, Kohli was back in the indoor batting facility at Lord's, where he grinded it out for two hours with Naeem Amin. It shouldn't be a surprise, though. In addition to his earlier Instagram post, another picture of Kohli with a fan recently surfaced on the internet. As Kohli posed for a picture, he was wearing the same training jersey, indicating that he is regularly grinding it out without creating much fuss. Hence, to believe that he went through the practices for two hours shouldn't come as a surprise.

Virat Kohli training like he's making his India debut

However, what he did during his training caught the eyes of the onlookers. Kohli looked fiercely motivated, working not only on the nitty-gritties of his batting but also on the elaborate aspects. He took throwdowns from various angles. Be in pace on spin, Kohli batted as if he were making his India debut. If there's one thing you can count on Kohli, it is that he will never be anything less than 100 percent. Over the last couple of years, Kohli and net practices have gone hand in hand. He was constantly at it during the home season against Bangladesh and New Zealand earlier this year and did not leave an inch when India toured to Australia for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

Kohli's comeback to Indian cricket is still 57 days away. But when he does return, he will take a stride in the country where his Test career came to an end. Kohli has an enviable ODI batting in Australia – 1327 runs from 29 matches at an average of 51.04, including five centuries. And anything less than two centuries in three outings wouldn't satiate his hunger.

Earlier this month, when a picture of Kohli with an excessive white beard surfaced, fans were concerned. Kohli was right when he said that he now needs to dye his beard every 3-4 days. But let those shades of grey not fool you one bit. The King is coming, and he is hungrier than ever.

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