NEW DELHI: As Virat Kohli prepares for his return to ODI action, the former India captain reflected on his new approach to the game following his decision to retire from Test and T20 cricket.

In a conversation with Ravi Shastri and Adam Gilchrist for Fox Cricket on the sidelines of the first ODI against Australia in Perth, Kohli spoke candidly about how the break has helped him rejuvenate both physically and mentally.

When asked about the challenges of playing just one format now, Kohli admitted that the downtime had been much needed after nearly two decades of relentless cricket.

"To be honest, the amount of cricket I've played over the last 15–20 years, I've actually never rested," Kohli said. "I've probably played the most number of games in international cricket over that period, including the IPL. So for me, this was a very refreshing time off."

The star batter added that he now feels fitter and sharper than ever.

"I'm feeling as fit, if not fitter, than I've ever been before," he continued. "You can feel that freshness when you get back to the game. Mentally, you know exactly what to do out there - it's just about making sure your physical preparation is spot on."

Kohli spoke about his time away from competitive cricket since retiring from Tests. "It's been a long time off for me since I retired from test cricket. And yeah, as I was just saying, just catching up on life, you know, I haven't, I haven't been able to do anything for the last, I don't know how many years. And yeah, just being able to spend some time, some quality time with your kids, with family at home, it's, it's been, it's been a beautiful, beautiful phase and something that I've really enjoyed."