Retired India legend Virat Kohli seen in Oxfordshire
Indian sporting icon Virat Kohli has announced his retirement from Test cricket this week which has brought back memories of his time spent in Oxfordshire.
The 36-year-old batter announced on Monday he was stepping away from the Test arena after scoring 9,230 runs in 123 Tests to stand fourth in India's all-time list of run scorers in the format.
It means Mr Kohli will not be appearing in the Test series against England which is taking place this summer.
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But the globally famous sportsman might now have time to spend time exploring with his family after he paid a surprise visit to an Oxfordshire village last year.
Mr Kohli's Oxfordshire visit was discussed on the Tailenders cricket podcast, hosted by Radio 1 presenter Greg James, musician Felix White and England cricketer James Anderson.
The former read out email correspondence from an A-Level student called Amelia on the podcast, who said she lives in a "tiny village in Oxfordshire" and noticed Mr Kohli "randomly visited that village recently" via posts on social media platform Instagram.
The location of the village was not disclosed but it was mentioned that the cricketer had also made a trip to Oxford.
Mr James said: "He was just wandering around. I wonder if he has got a second, or third, or fourth, or fifth or sixth property out in Oxfordshire."
Greg James talked about Virat Kohli's surprise visit to Oxfordshire (Image: PA) Mr White added: "I love people being in places you wouldn't expect like, a couple of years ago, Harrison Ford came to Peckham."
Announcing his decision to retire from Test cricket this week, Mr Kohli said: "It's been 14 years since I first wore the baggy blue in Test cricket.
'Honestly, I never imagined the journey this format would take me on. It's tested me, shaped me, and taught me lessons I'll carry for life.
'There's something deeply personal about playing in whites. The quiet grind, the long days, the small moments that no one sees but that stay with you forever.
Virat Kohli has visited Oxfordshire. Image: PA'As I step away from this format, it's not easy — but it feels right. I've given it everything I had, and it's given me back so much more than I could've hoped for.
'I'm walking away with a heart full of gratitude — for the game, for the people I shared the field with, and for every single person who made me feel seen along the way.
'I'll always look back at my Test career with a smile.'
After India's T20 World Cup triumph last June, Mr Kohli retired from the format but he is still expected to continue in ODIs, where he has amassed a record-breaking 51 centuries.
Mr Kohli, the most followed Asian and cricketer on Instagram with more than 271 million followers, made 30 Test tons and was often held up as one of the four greatest batters of this generation alongside England's Joe Root, Australia's Steve Smith and New Zealand's Kane Williamson.
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