Virat Kohli invites some Team India players to his UK residence ahead of ENG vs IND 2025 1st Test: Reports

Former captain Virat Kohli invited some of the Team India players to his UK residence ahead of the first Test between England and India. India are in England for a five-match Test series, with the first game beginning Friday, June 20, in Headingley, Leeds.

According to RevSportz, Virat Kohli invited some of the Indian players to his house after an intense practice session. The players included new Test captain Shubman Gill, new vice-captain Rishabh Pant, and Mohammed Siraj, among others.

Kohli announced his retirement from Test cricket on May 12, five days after Rohit Sharma did the same. The Delhi-born player led India in 68 Tests during his time and won 40 of them, becoming the country's most successful Test captain to date.

An interaction with Kohli ahead of the important Test series could help Team India players, given his experience of playing in England, leading the team, and doing well as a batter.

It is a series of immense magnitude as it marks the beginning of a new World Test Championship (WTC) cycle for India. The team is also in a transition phase, with Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and Ravichandran Ashwin no longer playing the longest format.

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A look at Virat Kohli's Test career

Virat Kohli made his Test debut in 2011 against the West Indies. It was not a great start for him, but he secured his place in the team over time with strong performances.

Overall, Kohli played 123 Tests for India. He scored 9230 runs from 210 innings at an average of 46.85, with 30 hundreds and 31 half-centuries and a top score of an unbeaten 254.

However, Kohli struggled in the red-ball format since the latter part of 2019 and was a shadow of his former self. In the 2024-25 BGT series, which was also his last Test series, he managed just 190 runs from five matches (nine innings). The 36-year-old scored a century (100*) in the opening game in Perth but failed to carry the form through the remainder of the series.