(Image source from: Instagram.com/virat.kohli)

For the first time ever, after letting down millions of Indian fans by saying he would quit Test cricket, Virat Kohli has spoken about it publicly. At a charity event for the YouWeCan foundation of past Indian cricketer Yuvraj Singh, Kohli chatted with many famous cricketers, such as Chris Gayle, his former teammate from Royal Challengers Bengaluru. The entire cricket team, along with head coach Gautam Gambhir, attended this event. Many great cricket players like Ravi Shastri, Sachin Tendulkar, Kevin Pietersen, Brian Lara, and Ashish Nehra were also there. When the host, Gaurav Kapoor, called Virat Kohli to the stage, he was able to get the Indian star to talk about his retirement.

"I just got my beard dyed a few days ago. You really know it&039;s time to pay attention when you’re dyeing your beard every four days," Kohli said, according to the Times of India. Everyone knows that Kohli and his old coach Ravi Shastri have a strong relationship. Kohli again thanked Shastri on this occasion for helping him in his early years and for helping him become the player he is now. "Honestly, if I hadn’t worked with him... what happened in Test cricket wouldn’t have happened. The understanding we shared was very unique. It&039;s important for cricketers to grow during their careers. Even if he hadn’t helped me like he did... those times when he defended me in press conferences. Things would have been different, and I will always appreciate and respect him for being a big part of my cricket journey," Kohli mentioned.

Kohli also thought back to when he first joined the Indian team and was in the same dressing room as players like Yuvraj Singh, Harbhajan Singh, and Zaheer Khan. "We were very close, both on and off the field. I first saw him at a North Zone tournament in Bangalore. When I started playing for India, he, Bhajju pa, and Zaheer Khan took me under their wing. They really helped me grow as a player, making me feel comfortable in the dressing room. We had a lot of fun outside of cricket, and they helped me learn what it takes to be successful. I will always cherish these friendships. It was amazing to watch him play in the World Cup, and then we were shocked by what we learned afterward. We were so close to him... we didn't know anything. Then his fight with cancer and once again, showing he's a champion... coming back to the team when I was the captain. Kohli also recalled the 2017 series when both Yuvraj Singh and MS Dhoni scored centuries after the Indian top order had been quickly dismissed.

I remember very clearly a game we played with England in Cuttack. This happened in a set of games in 2017 at home, where the best players were out fast, but Yuvi made about 150, and I think MS scored about 110. I can still see myself telling KL or someone that this felt like when we would watch on a big screen back in the day. I have a lot of love and respect for him. Being here is really nice, and I would not do this for anyone else but him, he said.