'Catching Up On Life': Virat Kohli On Spending Quality Time With Family At Home

India batting great Virat Kohli, who is returning to cricket after five months since playing the Indian Premier League this year, is "really enjoying" his time with his family after retiring from Tests and T20Is.

"It's been a long time off for me since I retired from Test cricket. I was just catching up on life," Kohli told Fox Cricket ahead of the first ODI against Australia on Sunday.

"I haven't been able to do anything I don't know for how many years, just been able to spend some quality time with kids, with family at home. It's been a beautiful phase and something that I really enjoyed," he added.

The batting superstar said he had not actually rested at all, considering the amount of cricket he played over the last 15–20 years.

Kohli said he has prepared well for the ODIs against Australia.

"I am feeling as fit if not fitter than I have ever been before and you can feel the freshness when you can play the game and mentally you know what to do out there. It's just the physical preparation that really needs to be taken care of. At this stage I realised if my body is fit and my reflexes are there.

Kohli admitted that the aggressive Australian cricketing environment tested his resilience but felt that standing up to it while playing a bold brand of cricket toughened his mind and shaped his career path, besides influencing his growth as an individual.

Kohli first toured Down Under in 2011 and faced a hostile reception from the Australian crowd but he reckoned that the aggression gradually transformed into respect.

(With text inputs from PTI)