Virat Kohli’s white-bearded look sparks ODI retirement speculation
London: Former Team India skipper Virat Kohli has set social media abuzz after a recent picture showing him with a visibly white beard went viral. The photograph, taken with a man identified as Shash Patel in London, quickly caught the attention of fans, many of whom speculated whether the cricket star was hinting at an impending retirement from One Day Internationals.
Kohli’s appearance comes weeks after his presence at an event hosted by Yuvraj Singh on July 10, where he jokingly remarked about dyeing his beard every few days while discussing his Test retirement decision. Fans have expressed concern over his ODI future, citing his age and the early greying of his beard, something he shares with former captain MS Dhoni.
This is not the first time Kohli’s salt-and-pepper look has gone viral. In July 2023, a photo with wife Anushka Sharma also drew attention to his greying facial hair.
Kohli retired from T20Is last year after India’s World Cup triumph in the West Indies, and in May 2025, he stunned the cricket world by announcing his retirement from Test cricket after 14 years. His comeback to the field was expected this month, but the postponement of India’s Bangladesh tour has delayed his return.
The star batter is now expected to rejoin the Indian squad in October for a limited-overs tour of Australia, which will feature three ODIs and five T20Is.
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Niqab incident: Nitish Kumar perhaps revealing his true colours, says J-K CM
Srinagar (PTI): Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Wednesday criticised his Bihar counterpart over the niqab incident and said that Nitish Kumar might be slowly revealing his true nature.
"Nitish Kumar, who was once considered a secular leader, may be slowly showing his true colours," Abdullah told reporters here on the sidelines of a function.
Abdullah said Kumar removing the face veil of a Muslim woman doctor was wrong and cannot be justified by any means.
"We have seen this kind of incident here several years ago. Have you forgotten how Mehbooba Mufti removed the burqa of a legitimate voter inside a polling station? That act was wrong, and this act (of Kumar) is also wrong.
"If the (Bihar) chief minister did not want to hand over the order to her (Muslim woman), they could have kept her aside. However, to humiliate her like this is totally wrong," the Jammu and Kashmir chief minister said.
Kumar stirred a huge controversy after he removed the face veil of a Muslim woman at a function earlier this week.
