Virat Kohli Retirement from Test cricket has been announced, marking the end of a significant chapter in the world of cricket.
After playing for 14 long years and participating in 123 Test matches, with 68 of those as captain, Virat Kohli has decided to step away from this format of the game. This Virat Kohli Retirement concludes a career where he scored a total of 9230 runs with an average of 46.85 runs per innings.
In a heartfelt message shared on social media on Monday morning, Virat Kohli reflected on his journey leading up to his Virat Kohli Retirement. “It’s been 14 years since I first wore the India Test jersey. Honestly, I never thought this format would mean so much to me. It pushed me, shaped me as a person, and taught me important life lessons,” he wrote, speaking about his time before the Virat Kohli Retirement. “Playing in the white uniform of Test cricket feels very personal. It’s about the quiet hard work, the long days on the field, and those small, unseen moments that you remember forever.”
Virat Kohli explained that the decision for his Virat Kohli Retirement wasn’t an easy one. “As I step away from this format, it’s not easy – but it feels right. I’ve given everything I had to Test cricket, and it has given me back so much more than I could have imagined. I’m leaving with a heart full of thankfulness – for the game itself, for all the teammates I played with, and for every single fan who supported me along the way. I will always look back at my Test career with a smile,” he said regarding his Virat Kohli Retirement.
Reports had surfaced earlier that Virat Kohli had informed the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) about his decision before the upcoming big series of five Test matches in England, which starts in June. He was expected to be part of the team for this series. It was also understood that Virat Kohli had been discussing this matter with BCCI officials for about a month, leading to his eventual Virat Kohli Retirement.
Lately, Virat Kohli hadn’t been having the most successful run in Test matches. His century in Perth in November 2024 was his first in this format since July 2023. His batting average, which was once as high as 55.10, had dropped to 32.56 in the last two years. His highest score in a Test match was 254 not out against South Africa in 2019. Despite this, the news of Virat Kohli Retirement still came as a surprise to many.
Despite his recent form, it’s believed that the team management and the selectors wanted his experience for the England tour. India will be playing under a new captain, Shubman Gill, who is likely to take over after Rohit Sharma also retired from Test cricket earlier in the week. The Virat Kohli Retirement adds to the changes in the Indian Test team lineup.
Besides Rohit Sharma, another senior player, R Ashwin, had also retired from international cricket last year. Other experienced players like Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Ishant Sharma, and Umesh Yadav are not currently part of the Test team. Mohammed Shami’s performance is also being watched closely after he returned from an injury. This leaves KL Rahul, Ravindra Jadeja, and Jasprit Bumrah as the main links to the previous era of Indian Test cricket, where the team reached the final of the World Test Championship twice, the first time under Virat Kohli’s captaincy. The Virat Kohli Retirement signifies the end of that era for him.
Virat Kohli, along with Rohit Sharma, was in the highest category of players in the latest BCCI contracts, which is usually for players who play all three formats of international cricket. However, both Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma had already retired from T20 international matches after India won the World Cup last year. They will now only be playing in One Day International (ODI) cricket. The Virat Kohli Retirement now focuses his international career solely on ODIs.
The president of the BCCI, Roger Binny, praised Virat Kohli for his skills as a cricketer and as a leader, acknowledging the impact of the Virat Kohli Retirement.
“Virat Kohli’s name will always be remembered as one of the greatest to ever play Test cricket,” Binny said in a statement regarding the Virat Kohli Retirement. “What made him special was not just his desire to score runs, but his dedication to being excellent in the toughest form of the game. His leadership changed how India competed in other countries – with aggression, belief, and a determination to be the best. He inspired a whole generation to be proud of playing Test cricket, and his impact on Indian cricket will be felt for many years to come.”
Virat Kohli played his first Test match for India in the West Indies in 2011. After a quiet start in that series, he showed his potential later that year against the West Indies in Mumbai, scoring 52 and 63 runs. He had a tough time in the following series in Australia, but he ended it on a high note by scoring his first Test century in Adelaide. This early part of his career laid the foundation for the Virat Kohli Retirement we see today.
Virat Kohli’s first truly great Test series was also in Australia, in 2014-15. He scored two centuries in Adelaide and followed that up with centuries in Melbourne and Sydney, scoring a total of 692 runs in the series with an average of 86.50. By this time, he had also become India’s Test captain. MS Dhoni was still the official captain but missed the first Test due to injury, giving Virat Kohli the captaincy. Dhoni returned for the next two Tests but then retired from Test cricket after the third match. Virat Kohli then took over as the full-time captain, a role he held with distinction until his Virat Kohli Retirement.
Under Virat Kohli’s leadership, India had a very successful period, winning 40 out of the 68 Test matches he captained and losing only 17. These 40 wins make Virat Kohli the most successful Test captain India has ever had. He is also fourth on the list of captains with the most Test wins overall. His captaincy is a significant part of the Virat Kohli Retirement narrative.
The tour of England in 2018 was another highlight of his career. He scored the most runs across both teams in the five Test matches, with 583 runs at an average of 59.30, including two centuries. This was especially significant because in his previous tour to England in 2014, he had only scored 134 runs in ten innings. The year 2018 was also his best year in terms of total runs scored in a year, with 1322 runs. These achievements underscore the magnitude of the Virat Kohli Retirement.
During his peak form, Virat Kohli had amazing batting averages: 75.93 in 2016, 75.64 in 2017, 55.08 in 2018, and 68.00 in 2019. In the period between 2016 and 2018, he scored 3596 runs in 35 Test matches, with an average of 66.59, including 14 centuries and eight half-centuries in 58 innings. This golden run is a key aspect of his legacy as he announces his Virat Kohli Retirement.
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