Kohli retired early from T20Is, could have played till 2026 WC: Raina

After Virat Kohli enthralled the home fans with a knock of 70 off 42 balls that proved crucial in the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) winning for the first time at home in IPL 2025, over Rajasthan Royals (RR) on Thursday (April 24), former India batter Suresh Raina remarked that the former India captain retired too early from T20Is, and that he could have played for India till the 2026 T20 World Cup which will be held in the subcontinent.

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Kohli is in fine form for his franchise this season as well, having scored 392 runs, including five half-centuries in nine matches. He has moved to second in the Orange Cap standings, with only Sai Sudharsan of Gujarat Titans (GT) above him with 417 runs from eight games.

‘Plenty left in the tank’

Raina said Kohli still had plenty left in the tank and could have continued contributing at the highest level.

“I still think that Virat Kohli retired early from T20I cricket. He could have played until 2026, based on the rhythm with which he is playing right now, and the rhythm during the 2025 Champions Trophy as well. The way he has maintained his fitness, he looks like he is still at his peak,” said Raina on Star Sports.

Kohli brought his T20 international career to an end after being instrumental in helping India win the 2024 T20 World Cup in Barbados.

Giant in World Cup history

Kohli remains a giant in T20 World Cup history, being the leading run-scorer with 1,292 runs. He had the distinction of representing India in six T20 World Cups. He also holds the record for hitting the most runs in a single edition (319 runs in 2014), and for the maximum number of 50-plus scores (15).

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The 35-year-old played in 125 T20Is and amassed 4,188 runs at an average of 48.69. His T20I career included one century and 38 fifties.

Yet another record

Kohli on Thursday (April 24) during the match against the Rajasthan Royals created yet another record. He became the first player in IPL history to score more than 3,500 runs at a single venue – the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru – thus etching his name in the record books of the IPL and the RCB, the franchise he has played for, from the beginning.