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"Wish He Plays Till 50": Taliban Leader Urges Virat Kohli To Reverse Test Retirement

Jatin

Virat Kohli has called time on his Test and T20I careers [Source: AFP Photos]Virat Kohli has called time on his Test and T20I careers [Source: AFP Photos]

Cricket has a funny way of uniting people who otherwise live in different worlds. And now, even the corridors of Kabul have echoed with the name of Virat Kohli.

Taliban Leader’s Surprising Appeal To Virat Kohli

In a rather unexpected twist, Anas Haqqani, a leader of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan and a prominent figure in the Taliban movement, has made a heartfelt appeal to Virat Kohli. He wants him to rethink walking away from red-ball cricket.

Kohli hung up his Test boots in May 2025, just days after Rohit Sharma did the same, and left the cricketing world stunned. But Haqqani believes the King still has fuel in the tank and he has made that clear in a rather emotional message.

Speaking in an interview with Shubhankar Mishra, Haqqani confessed he couldn’t wrap his head around Kohli’s sudden Test exit.

“Rohit’s retirement from Tests was justified. I don’t know the cause behind Kohli’s retirement. Very few people across the world are that unique. My wish is that he tries to play till he is 50,” Haqqani said.

Those words carry weight, especially considering they are coming from someone far removed from the usual cricketing chatter. For Haqqani, the shock wasn’t about Rohit’s call but about losing a once-in-a-generation batter from the longest format.

Kohli, 36, bowed out on May 12, 2025, just 770 runs short of the 10,000-run milestone in Tests. Rohit had announced his retirement five days earlier, on May 7, closing the curtains on his own red-ball chapter.

Haqqani admitted he didn’t see Kohli’s announcement coming.

“Maybe he was frustrated by the media in India. He still had time. You can see Joe Root chasing Sachin Tendulkar’s tally of Test runs,” he added.

A New Era For India

With both stalwarts stepping aside, the baton has now been passed to 25-year-old Shubman Gill, who impressed right away by leading India to a 2-2 draw against England in their own backyard. Meanwhile, Kohli and Rohit have limited their focus to ODIs and are expected to return in October for a three-match series against Australia.

For now, India are busy stamping their authority in the Asia Cup 2025, having bulldozed United Arab Emirates in their opener. If things fall into place, fans could even see them square off against Afghanistan in the Super Four stage, a showdown that might just have an unlikely new fan watching closely.