As tributes continue to pour in for Virat Kohli following his retirement from Test cricket -- one came from a familiar name in both cricket and Bollywood. Punjab Kings co-owner and actor Preity Zinta took to social media to share a deeply personal note on Kohli.
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She highlighted how the Indian legend was her main reason for watching the longest format of the game. Zinta was engaging with fans on X when one user asked her how she felt about Kohli stepping away from Tests.
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Her response struck a chord with many who have followed Kohli’s journey since his debut in 2011.
What did Preity Zinta say on Virat Kohli's Test retirement?
Zinta praised Kohli not just for his numbers but for the emotion and intensity he brought to Test cricket -- a format often considered fading in the age of T20s.
“I saw test cricket mainly for Virat. He infused so much passion and so much character into the game with his competitiveness & the desire to excel. I don’t think test cricket will ever be the same again. I wish him well and all the best for his future. Our current Indian players will have big shoes to fill cuz the likes of Virat, Rohit & Ashwin are not playing test cricket anymore,” she posted on X.
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Kohli retired from Test cricket earlier this week, ending a career that spanned 123 matches with 9,230 runs scored and 30 centuries hit. He also led India in 68 Tests, winning 40 -- more than any other Indian captain.
His decision came shortly after Rohit Sharma’s exit from the format. This leaves India to rebuild its batting core and leadership group ahead of the England Test series starting June 20.
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