- Batting maestro Virat Kohli declared his immediate retirement from Test cricket on Monday, just days before India is set to name their squad for a tour to England.
- “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,” the 36-year-old Kohli shared on Instagram.
- Kohli, who debuted in 2011 and amassed 30 centuries and 9,230 runs at an average of 46.85 across 123 Tests, is expected to remain available for one-day international matches.
- The 36-year-old had previously stepped down from Twenty20 Internationals immediately after India’s triumph in the second 20-overs World Cup in the West Indies last year.
- “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,” Kohli posted on Instagram.
- “It’s tested me, shaped me, and taught me lessons I’ll carry for life.
- “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.”
- While Kohli’s final Test concluded a 3-1 series defeat by Australia in January, which saw India relinquish the Border-Gavaskar Trophy for the first time in a decade, he will be most remembered for his tenure as captain between 2014 and 2022.
- Kohli led India in 68 Tests, securing victory in 40, making him the country’s most successful skipper in the format and placing him fourth on the list of captains with the most Test wins.
- Only Graeme Smith (53), Ricky Ponting (48), and Steve Waugh (41) have won more Test matches as captains.
- Under Kohli’s leadership, India suffered only 17 defeats, and he guided the side to the final of the inaugural World Test Championship in 2021, where they were defeated by New Zealand.
- He was also part of the team that lost the second World Test Championship final to Australia in 2023.
- “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,” he added.
- “I’ll always look back at my Test career with a smile.”
- India’s next Test assignment is a five-match series in England, commencing on June 20th.
- “An era ends in Test cricket but the legacy will continue FOREVER!” the Board of Control for Cricket in India posted on X regarding the former captain’s retirement announcement.
Virat Kohli Announces Immediate Retirement from Test Cricket
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