Should Virat Kohli return for 2026 T20 World Cup? Suresh Raina impressed by retired India star's IPL 2025 batting – sportingnews.com

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Saurav Goyal
(getty)
The question buzzing across cricket circles is simple- Should Virat Kohli return to T20 internationals for the 2026 World Cup?
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The former India captain had called time on his T20I career right after guiding the team to a memorable World Cup win in 2024. But recent form and support from fellow cricketers like Suresh Raina have reopened the debate.
Kohli’s farewell to the shortest format came in the best way possible. He played a match-winning knock of 76 in the final against South Africa and earned the Player of the Match award.
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He played an important role in helping India clinch the trophy by 7 runs. With that high, he decided it was time to give younger talent a shot at T20 glory.
He didn’t leave silently. He encouraged the next generation to step up and take the baton forward. But not everyone agrees with the timing of his exit.
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He has a record in T20Is that speaks volumes. Over 4,000 runs, including a century and nearly 40 fifties, he played six T20 World Cups and topped the charts in most run-scoring records- most runs overall and most in a single edition.
Suresh Raina, a key figure in India’s T20 history himself, believes Kohli had more to offer. He recently shared that the retirement might have been a bit premature. The 2025 IPL and Champions Trophy showed glimpses of the vintage Kohli
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“He took early retirement. Kohli should have played in the 2026 T20 World Cup. We saw his performance in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. His running between the wicket and his IPL performances show that a lot of cricket is left in him,” Raina said.
It is a legacy hard to ignore and it is clear why someone like Raina feels there is more cricket left in the tank.
Saurav Goyal is a content producer for The Sporting News’ India edition. 

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