Football legend Sunil Chhetri of India declared on Thursday that he will not be playing for his country after the match against Kuwait.
Virat Kohli, the captain of India’s batting team, disclosed that before declaring his retirement from international football, star player Sunil Chhetri had sent him a message. Football player Chhetri became a national hero as well as an international one, having completely changed the norms of Indian football. Using his social media account on Thursday, the legendary football player announced that he would play his final international match in the national shirt on June 6 against Kuwait.
Before calling it a career after 19 years, the third-highest active scorer of goals for the United States will get one last chance to play in front of his devoted home fans at Salt Lake Stadium. 94 goals in 150 international matches during the course of an over 19-year career have been scored by the Arjuna Award winner. Football legends Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo score more goals than the most-capped player from India, who is ranked third overall in the world.
Kohli complimented Chhetri’s modesty in an interview with the RCB Insider Show, and he also mentioned that the legendary football player was happy with his retirement.
Chhetri and Kohli have enjoyed a positive friendship over the years. Chhetri met with Kohli and the team last year prior to the RCB vs. MI IPL 2023 match at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.
In honor of the tenth anniversary of @bigbasket_com’s RCB Insider Show, Mr. Nags meets Virat Kohli, celebrates with a cake, and reminisces about their connection over time.”It’s a true friendship. In fact, he messaged me too, saying he was going to take care of things. He seemed, nonetheless, to be at peace with the choice, in my opinion. I hope for nothing but the best for him, as we have grown rather close over the years. Kohli stated on the RCB Insider Show, “He is a great, lovely guy.
The record-breaking forward reflected on his bittersweet moments with his family after announcing his retirement from international football, saying that his mother and wife had sobbed when he told them.
“I told my mom, my dad and my wife, my family first, my dad, he was normal, he was relieved, happy, everything, but my mom and my wife started crying and I told them, you always used to bug me that there are too many games, there is too much of pressure when you watch me and now that I’m telling you that, you know, I’m not going to play for my country anymore after this game,” he posted.
Kohli, who now occupies the top slot in the Orange Cap standings, has been an essential member of the RCB team during the IPL 2024. Kohli has scored 661 runs at an average of 66.10 and a strike rate of 155.16 in 13 games, with one century and five half-centuries.
