Oman captain Jatinder Singh is disappointed that India legend Virat Kohli has retired from T20I cricket, as he said during an interview with the broadcasters
in the Asia Cup 2025.
Virat Kohli, a modern day maverick, is the most successful and popular cricketer of this era. The India stalwart has a billion of admirers, and garners huge respect among his rivals and opponents. The Oman captain Jatinder is a huge admirer of Kohli, and he was looking forward to playing against him in the Asia Cup. But Kohli retired from T20I cricket after winning the 2024 T20 World Cup.
A video from the Asia Cup broadcasters Sony Sports showed Jatinder glowing with a smile while speaking about Kohli, mentioning him as his idol.
"Virat Kohli paaji, we miss you. You took retirement a lot early, as I was hoping to play against you in the Asia Cup. It didn't happen, but hopefully, we will see you down the line," Jatinder said.
The Oman captain also said that his team has nothing to lose in the Asia Cup, which means the pressure will be on the big boys.
Who is Jatinder Singh?
Jatinder Singh is an Indian-born cricketer who captains the Oman national cricket team. Born on March 5, 1989, in Ludhiana, Punjab, India, he moved to Oman in 2003 where he grew up and developed his cricket career. He is a right-handed top-order batsman and is the most-capped player for Oman.
He made his T20 International debut for Oman in 2015 and entered the One Day International (ODI) scene in April 2019 after Oman earned ODI status. Jatinder has been a key figure in Oman's rise in international cricket, scoring 1,704 ODI runs at an average of 29.37 with four centuries, including the highest individual ODI score for Oman (118*). In T20Is, he has scored 1,399 runs in 64 matches at a strike rate of 118.55 and has featured in two T20 World Cups (2016, 2021) with notable performances.
Jatinder Singh also became Oman's captain in 2024, leading the team in ODIs and T20Is, including the 2025 Asia Cup, where Oman made their debut in the main tournament. He is known for his resilience, having come back from a serious sciatic nerve injury that almost forced him to retire in 2024.
