Watch: “Like looking in a mirror”: Kane Williamson reveals his chat with Virat Kohli before retirement

The former New Zealand captain, Kane Williamson, has opened up about his conversation with Virat Kohli on the eve of announcing his international retirement. He revealed that he shared the exchange the day before his announcement and that the duo shared their personal experiences from the early years of the game. 

The 36-year-old’s last game in international cricket came during the Lord’s Test match against England when he was dismissed for a duck in the first innings, followed by 18 in the second. He didn’t get a fifty even in the previous clash for New Zealand against Ireland in Belfast. 

What did Kane Williamson say about Virat Kohli? Full comments on their pre-retirement chat

On the YouTube podcast ‘Between Two Beers Podcast’, he used the appearance to highlight his exchange with Kohli, who is also at the same stage of his career. Virat Kohli, himself, retired from Tests and T20Is in a gap of less than a year between 2024 and 2025.

Watch the moment here- 

“I spoke to several people I trust, and I have been really close with. And then we actually had a really cool chat with Virat, um, like the day before I announced - it was really like looking in the mirror, the experiences we had, captaincy roles, children at the same time, we had a really quite relationship.” Williamson expressed in the podcast.

See Also: Virat Kohli and cricket legends wish Kane Williamson on his international retirement

The Kiwi batter made it clear what stood out for him. He and Kohli reflected on their experiences over the past years of the game, with the former drawing on the experience of the Indian star in making the major decisions of his career.

Kane Williamson’s career: Runs, records and milestones of New Zealand’s batting great

Williamson finished his Test career with 9515 runs in 195 innings at an average of 54.06 and a strike rate of 51.97 with 33 centuries and 38 half-centuries at the best score of 251 runs. His career spanned 16 years after making his debut on November 04 in, 2010, against the Indian side in Ahmedabad.

Williamson notched up 7256 runs in 167 innings at an average of 48.69 in ODIs and a strike rate of 81.59, with 15 centuries and 47 half-centuries at the best score of 148. His last 50-over clash was in October 2025 against England in Hamilton.

See Also: Watch: Virat Kohli gets angry at kids for throwing bats onto the field during NZ vs IND 2nd ODI

The right-handed batter nailed 2575 runs in 90 inning of the T20Is at a strike rate of 123.08 with 18 fifties at the best score of 95. His last game in the 20-over format came against PNG during the T20 World Cup 2024.