Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) batting coach Dinesh Karthik gave a sneak peek into stalwart Virat Kohli's life after he bid adieu to Test cricket earlier this month and said that the 36-year-old is at his "happiest now".
Virat announced his retirement from the format he cherished the most. Virat's announcement came days after his long-time compatriot Rohit Sharma retired from red-ball cricket.
The duo's decision has left India threadbare in the experience department weeks before India's sojourn on a gruelling Test tour of England.
RCB batting coach Karthik, who has shared the same dressing room with Kohli and has been with him since the announcement of the surprising decision, revealed the 36-year-old is enjoying the sport.
"It came as a shock to the outside world, so we are just observing what Virat is up to," Karthik said on Thursday.
"He is at his happiest now, he is enjoying the sport, he really wants to spend his time with his family. It's a personal decision, we respect it. The fact is, it's great to see him happy and ready whenever we want him to play. The key is to keep him in good spirits," DK added.
Virat's 14-year journey in the whites transformed India into a result-producing machine. He infused aggression and the culture of fitness into a team riddled with youth and experience.
In a career that redefined the demands of the game, Virat scored 9,230 runs at an average of 46.85, with 30 centuries and 31 fifties, and finished as India's fourth-highest run-getter in the format.
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