Virat Kohli’s latest salt-pepper beard look gets fans worried: Here’s what they think

Virat Kohli has once again managed to set social media on fire and this time, it’s not because of a cricket shot or a record-breaking innings, but because of a single candid picture. A recent snap of the former India skipper, clicked in London with a fan, has gone viral on Instagram, all thanks to one striking detail, his salt-and-pepper beard.

Dressed casually in a sweatshirt and black cap, Kohli looked every bit the cool, off-duty star. But the photo revealed noticeably more white strands than black in his beard, sparking a flood of reactions online. Fan pages and meme accounts jumped in instantly, sharing the image with captions like “Sher buddha ho raha hai,” “How fast the night changes,” and “Beard black or white, we’ll always love him.” While some fans playfully teased him, others got nostalgic, admitting it was hard to see their childhood hero showing visible signs of age.

The chatter around his beard took an even more interesting turn because of Kohli’s own past comment. Speaking at a fundraiser event hosted by Yuvraj Singh in London earlier this year, the 36-year-old had joked, “I just coloured my beard two days ago. You know it’s time when you’re colouring your beard every four days, it’s time to relax.” Naturally, this old quote resurfaced as fans connected the dots, wondering if the “time to relax” hint was a subtle nod to more goodbyes in cricket.

Kohli’s T20I retirement came last year after India’s T20 World Cup victory in Barbados, a move most people saw coming. But his decision to step away from Test cricket in the middle of IPL 2025 shocked many. And now, this new viral picture has reignited speculation about whether his cricketing journey is winding down entirely.

Off the field, Kohli seems to be enjoying a peaceful new chapter in London with wife Anushka Sharma and their children, Vamika and Akaay. The family consciously stays away from the paparazzi glare, choosing quality time over public appearances, yet they remain unmissable in headlines, thanks to their immense fandom.