NEW DELHI: A day after announcing his retirement from Test cricket, Indian batting legend Virat Kohli visited Vrindavan with his wife, Anushka Sharma, to seek guidance from the spiritual leader Premanand Maharaj. The couple visited Shri Hit Radha Keli Kunj Ashram in Vrindavan to receive blessings.Photos of Kohli and Anushka interacting with Premanand Maharaj in Vrindavan quickly went viral on social media.After leaving the ashram, Kohli was spotted exiting his car holding a Jaap counting machine. He waved to fans briefly before walking quietly into the airport.Kohli is set to take the field for Royal Challengers Bangalore in their IPL 2025 match against Kolkata Knight Riders on Saturday.On Monday, Kohli announced his retirement from Test cricket, marking the end of a stellar career in the longest format. He played 123 Tests for India, amassing 9,230 runs at an average of 46.85, including 30 centuries.As captain, Kohli led India to 40 wins in 68 Tests, the most by any Indian skipper to date.Former India coach Ravi Shastri described Kohli as “mentally fried and overcooked” due to constant public scrutiny. While surprised by Kohli’s decision to retire, Shastri believed the star batter still had two to three years left in Test cricket.Shastri also revealed that he had spoken to Kohli shortly before the announcement was made public.“I did speak to him about it, I think a week before that [his announcement] and his mind was very clear that he’d given us everything. There were no regrets,” Shastri told The ICC Review.“Virat surprised me because I thought he had at least two-three years of Test match cricket left in him. But then, when you’re mentally fried and overcooked, that’s what tells your body. You might be physically the fittest guy in the business.
“You might be fitter than half the guys in your team, but mentally you’re well done, as they say, then it sends a message to the body. You know, that’s it,” he said.Opening up on their conversation, Shastri said Kohli’s infectious personality and the constant spotlight he was under contributed to a burnout.“He’s got accolades around the globe. He has a bigger following than any other cricketer in the last decade. Whether it’s Australia, whether it’s South Africa, he just got people to watch the game. There was a love-hate relationship.“They would get angry because he had the ability to get under the skin of the viewers. In the way he celebrated, you know his intensity was such that it was like a rash.“It spread very quickly, not just within the dressing room, but within living rooms as well for people watching cricket. So, he was an infectious personality,” he added.
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