"You just assume things last forever" - New Zealand star drops massive statement on Virat Kohli's Test retirement amid IPL 2025

Former New Zealand captain and batting mainstay Kane Williamson has reacted to Virat Kohli's decision to retire from Test cricket. The 34-year-old said that one wishes for cricketers to go on forever, but that is not the case and the hectic nature of the modern game does have its effect on players.

Kohli announced his retirement from Test cricket on May 12, after playing 123 Tests and scoring 9230 runs at an average of 46.85.

"I guess when you are not just part of the cricketing fabric, but someone like Virat, he's the whole couch isn't he? You just assume that things last forever and they don't. There comes a time and there is so much that goes into the game and especially the international game.

"It takes its toll and it takes a huge amount of energy and the energy he's brought to the game and how he's grown the game in all formats over so many years," Williamson told Talksport in an interview.

Williamson and Kohli led New Zealand and India, respectively, at the 2008 Under-19 World Cup. The 34-year-old looked back at how both their careers had run parallelly, but in different parts of the world.

"When you sit back and think about it, you are human beings and you make decisions and life decisions. Obviously, a world leader in our game and an absolute legend, but a fantastic human being. We grew up in Under-19s together, and followed these parallel lines in some respects, but in different worlds," Williamson said.

Could Virat Kohli and Kane Williamson play county cricket together this season?

Kane Williamson is likely to make his Middlesex debut in the T20 Blast tournament against Sussex at Lord's on Thursday, May 29. Earlier this month, a report in The Guardian had claimed that the county side would be interested in signing Kohli to play red-ball and 50-over cricket for them this season.

Williamson is contracted to play five red-ball matches for the county and if the deal with Kohli does go through, then we could see two generational players in the same playing XI, albeit in English county cricket.