"PROUD" - Virat Kohli reacts as India captain Sunil Chhetri announces retirement from international football

Former India cricket captain Virat Kohli dropped a special message for Indian football skipper Sunil Chhetri as the latter announced his retirement from international football on Thursday (May 16). The 39-year-old will play his last game against Kuwait in a FIFA World Cup qualification match on June 6.

Chhetri has the most goals in international football after Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal), Ali Daei (Iran) and Lionel Messi (Argentina). He has scored 94 goals in 150 appearances for the country.

Kohli enjoys a great friendship with Chhetri. The 35-year-old often invites him to Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) training sessions. He was one of the first sportspersons to react to his retirement post on Instagram, writing:

"My brother ❤️. PROUD."

Virat Kohli's reply to Sunil Chhetri's Instagram post.

Chhetri said in his post:

"When I did decide that this is going to be my last game, I told my family about it. It’s not that I was feeling tired, not that I was feeling this or that. When the instinct came that this should be my last game, I thought about it a lot, eventually I came to this decision."

He added:

“I have practically lived the dream. Nothing comes close to playing for the country."

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"I have had a lot of deep and meaningful chats" - When Sunil Chhetri opened up about his friendship with Virat Kohli

In an interview in 2023, Sunil Chhetri opened up about his camaraderie with Virat Kohli. He said (via CNBC18.com):

“We talk about a lot of normal things. We share a lot of laughter. We share a lot of jokes and a lot of funny stuff. I have had a lot of deep and meaningful chats. It’s not like we talk 24x7 every day. There are phases when we don’t talk for months but the best part is that he understands and so do I. But, we catch up exactly from where we left it."

He added:

"He understands that not everyone can understand what we are going through and it just hits the right note.”

Chhetri began his career with Mohun Bagan in 2002. He will continue to play for Bengaluru in the Indian Super League (ISL). Meanwhile, Virat Kohli will next be in action against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the ongoing IPL 2024 at M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Saturday (May 18).