AB de Villiers warns Ajit Agarkar, Gautam Gambhir against forcing Virat Kohli into retirement

The legendary South Africa National Cricket Team batsman AB de Villiers has issued a massive warning to the India National Cricket Team head coach Gautam Gambhir and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) chief selector Ajit Agarkar.

AB de Villiers has warned Ajit Agarkar and Gautam Gambhir against forcing Virat Kohli into international cricket retirement and said that the modern-day batting great deserves to leave on his own terms

We all know how special it would be for Virat to lift the World Cup - AB de Villiers

Virat Kohli is set to make his international cricket comeback on Sunday, October 19, in the ODI series opener between India and Australia in Perth. It will be the first time since March 2025 that Kohli will be seen in action.

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Kohli has trained very hard for his comeback, and he looked exceptional in India's first net session Down Under. Recently, he also shut down the rumors of his ODI retirement with a cryptic post on X.

Also, multiple reports have suggested that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is keeping Virat Kohli pretty much in the scheme of things for the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2027.

In a recent interaction, AB de Villiers said that the main focus of Virat Kohli is currently on lifting the World Cup in 2027 in South Africa alongside Rohit Sharma.

“He’s sort of at a place now where he has to compartmentalise and prioritise what is important to him as a player. The 2027 World Cup comes to mind,” de Villiers told HT in an interview on the sidelines of promoting a new format in cricket ‘Test Twenty’ for young talent aged 13-19.

“We all know how special it would be for Virat to lift the World Cup alongside Rohit and a few of his friends. I think all his focus is on that now.”

He’s served the country more than well over the years with flying colours - AB de Villiers

Talking about Kohli moving away from two international formats, AB de Villiers speculated that workload management and the priority to stay with his young family might have pushed him to make such a decision.

"He’s not in his 20s anymore. He’s served the country more than well over the years with flying colours. I think it was workload management to a certain extent. Also, obviously, I think mental fatigue might have played a role as well. He’s got a family now. So, lots of things to consider. He’s made up his mind. I’m just happy for him that he is still enjoying it and got the opportunity to play competitively, hopefully for quite a few years to come.”

AB de Villiers also opined that the outside off-stump weakness of Virat Kohli has persisted for a long time, but he has managed it very well.

"That is the beauty of sport. Every few years, a new generation of players comes through and they come with a whole new skill set. I just think the bowling got a bit better and Virat had different challenges to face,” he said.

I think a player like Virat has earned the right to do exactly what he feels is best - Virat Kohli

Speculations have been intense over the future of Virat Kohli in ODI cricket, but AB de Villiers has strictly told the BCCI that the right-handed batsman should be left alone to make the decision and not be forced into retirement.

“I don’t think any player, especially of Virat’s calibre should be put in a corner where they feel like they have to decide. That decision (retirement) almost is a natural process,” the South African said.

“I went through a very similar phase in my career where I felt the pressure of having to pick and choose. But it should never come down to that. A player knows his body, his mind and the mental state that he finds himself in towards the back end of his career. I think a player like Virat has earned the right to do exactly what he feels is best for him and his country.”

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