Virat Kohli resumes practice, shows first signs of returning to Indian cricket moments after white beard pic sparks fear

Virat Kohli is going nowhere. At least that's what it looks like. The Indian batting superstar, away from the limelight, just shared his first glimpse of returning to international cricket, sending a wave of happiness among his fans. Earlier in the day, a picture of him surfaced online, with plenty of grey hair, leaving fans worried. The Kohli faithful felt the end was near and feared the worst – a possible retirement from the ODIs, going by the amount of grey in his beard. However, Kohli, through a simple social media activity, confirmed that he is not done, and if anything, he is set for a return to Indian cricket sooner rather than later. Virat Kohli had his first hit in a while(Virat Kohli-Instagram)

Kohli shared a picture with Gujarat Titans assistant coach Naeem Amin, in which both posed in what appeared to be an indoor cricket training facility. The backdrop suggests that Kohli, who hasn't played cricket since the conclusion of the IPL 2025, could have resumed practice ahead of his return, currently slated for October.

"Thanks for helping out with the hit, brother. Always lovely to see you," Kohli captioned his Instagram story.

What confirmed Kohli's training was that Amin was holding one of Kohli's classic MRF logoed bats in his hand. Kohli has flown under the radar and remained low-key since the IPL, making just two public appearances – going to attend Wimbledon and then gracing a 'YouWeCan' event hosted in London by Yuvraj Singh. He has, otherwise, been away from the public eye, and barring a couple of posts on X on the Indian team's performances in Birmingham and the Oval, Kohli has been, well, to put it simply, in hibernation.

Virat Kohli's recent retirements and what the future holds

Kohli is 36. It needs no rocket scientist to realise that he has more cricket behind him than in front. Last year, when Kohli announced his retirement from T20Is after India won the World Cup in the West Indies, it was on expected lines that he was going to go after this. However, what no one was ready for was May 12, 2024, when Kohli retired from Test cricket, a format he so dearly cherished all his life and career. The excessive grey on Kohli’s beard genuinely left fans worried as they felt his ODI retirement wasn't far away. But if the memory serves correctly, earlier this year, Kohli had said that playing the 2027 World Cup in South Africa remains his next big goal.

That may be easier said than done. A recent PTI report quoting a BCCI source informed that Kohli and Rohit Sharma are not automatic picks for the World Cup in two years' time as both will be 'pushing 40'. The source also claimed that the BCCI will have an 'honest and professional' conversation with both about their future. Between now and the next 50-overs World Cup, India play a total of 27 – until the end of 2026 – with more leading up to it in the year 2027. Kohli needs to play all of them to ensure match fitness and form to make himself undroppable from India's next World Cup squad.

Who is Naeem Amin?

Amin has been with the Titans since the franchise's beginning in 2022 and is the head of the Mighty Willow Academy. The academy is based in Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, and London, and is open to cricketers of all ages and abilities. Besides, Amin also played for Surrey CCC (2008) & Buckinghamshire CCC (2007), before serving as the national coach of Norway in 2011. He also served as the head coach of the MCC Foundation from 2013-2017, and before coming aboard the GT setup, Amis was also a coaching Assistant for Sunrisers Hyderabad from early 2018.

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