Virat Kohli, one of the greatest Indian batsmen India has seen, on Monday announced his retirement from Test cricket. This brings to an end a remarkable 14-year career in the longest format of the game.
Kohli, 36, made the announcement ahead of India’s five-match Test series against England that begins on June 20 at Headingley, Leeds. He put a post on his Instagram account.
“It’s been 14 years since I first wore the baggy blue in Test cricket. Honestly, I never imagined the journey this format would take me on. It’s tested me, shaped me, and taught me lessons I’ll carry for life,” Kohli wrote.
“There’s something deeply personal about playing in whites. The quiet grind, the long days, the small moments that no one sees but that stay with you forever.”
“As I step away from this format, it’s not easy — but it feels right. I’ve given it everything I had, and it’s given me back so much more than I could’ve hoped for,” Kohli said in the post.
“I’m walking away with a heart full of gratitude — for the game, for the people I shared the field with, and for every single person who made me feel seen along the way. I’ll always look back at my Test career with a smile,” he added.
Kohli’s announcement comes close on the heels of Indian Test captain Rohit Sharma’s retirement from the five-day format of the game. Sharma announced retirement five days ago. The Board of Control for Cricket in India has an uphill task to select a new team minus Sharma and Kohli.
The BCCI in a social media post said that an era ends in Test cricket but the legacy will continue foreover. Thanking Kohli, the Board also said that his contributions to team India will be forever cherished.
Fondly addressed as Chiku, Kohli retires as India’s fourth-highest run-scorer in Test cricket, behind only Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, and Sunil Gavaskar. He made his Test debut in Jamaica against the West Indies, just two months after being part of India’s ODI World Cup-winning squad in 2011.
His final appearance in the format came during the New Year’s Test against Australia in January at the Sydney Cricket Ground. Over the course of 123 Tests, Kohli scored 9,230 runs at an average of 46.85, including 30 centuries and 31 half-centuries. His highest score—an unbeaten 254—came against South Africa in 2019 at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune.
On Saturday, a day before the announcement, Kohli reportedly informed the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) of his intention to retire. A senior BCCI official had urged him to reconsider, but Kohli ultimately stood by his decision.
Both Sharma and Kohli faced difficult times in the 2024–25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Although they briefly returned to domestic cricket in the Ranji Trophy for their respective state teams, they decided to end their Test careers ahead of India’s upcoming tour of England.
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