Kane Williamson opens up on Virat Kohli's Test retirement

Overview

• Kane Williamson opened up on Virat Kohli's retirement from Tests and revealed how he felt about it
• The former New Zealand skipper said one would start thinking about their age when something like that happens
• He claimed Virat's decision was unexpected and credited him for achieving a lot in the sport

Kane Williamson opened up on Virat Kohli's retirement from Tests and revealed how he felt about it. The former New Zealand skipper said one would start thinking about their age when something like that happens. He claimed Virat's decision was unexpected and credited him for achieving a lot in the sport.

In May 2025, just before the announcement of India's squad against England, Virat retired from Tests. Williamson claimed that one might not realize before some of their teammates or top rivals retire that they are only getting older. The former New Zealand skipper added that in some cases it impacts individuals so much to take decisions on their careers, potentially leading to them following the same paths.

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"You don’t often think about it, but when you see some of your opponents and teammates making such decisions, you realise, ‘wow, it’s been quite some time,’ and you start to feel that you’re not getting any younger," said Williamson in an interview with the Independent.

"Everyone was taken aback because you never really expect it to happen," - Kane Williamson

The star player added that Kohli left on his terms after achieving a lot in the longest format of the game. He claimed Virat to be a special and an incredible player. Kane claimed that a majority of people were shocked with the decision, as they did not expect something like that to happen.

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"At some point, it becomes a reality. For someone like Virat, who stepped away on his own terms and achieve what he has for the game, was incredible. It’s truly special. Everyone was taken aback because you never really expect it to happen, but it does. I'm more conscious of that than most – and that’s a good thing," Williamson added.