It’s the end of an era for Indian Test cricket as Virat Kohli joins fellow batting sensation Rohit Sharma in retirement. India batsman Virat Kohli confirmed his retirement from Test cricket, closing the curtain on a glittering career in the longest format just days after captain Rohit Sharma did the same.
Kohli, who debuted in 2011 and hit 30 centuries and 9,230 runs at 46.85 average in 123 tests, is likely to be available for one-day internationals. The 36-year-old retired from Twenty20 International shortly after India won their second 20-over World Cup title in the West Indies last year.
It’s 14 years since I last donned the baggy blue in test cricket. Honestly, I never thought the journey of this format would take me on,” Kohli wrote on Instagram on Monday. It’s pushed me, moulded me, and taught me lessons that 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 wrapped up a 3-1 test series defeat by Australia in January, which saw India relinquish the Border-Gavaskar Trophy for the first time in a decade, he will be remembered most for his spell as captain between 2014 and 2022.
Kohli won 40 of his 68 India captaincy tests to become India’s most successful skipper in the format and is fourth on the list of captains who have won the most test matches. Graeme Smith (53), Ricky Ponting (48) and Steve Waugh (41) were the only captains to have won more tests.
India lost just 17 times with Kohli as captain who led the team to the final of the first World Test Championship in 2021, when India fell to New Zealand.
He was also a member of the team which lost the second World Test Championship final against Australia in 2023. I walk away with a heart full of appreciation – for the game, for the individuals I spent the field with, and for every individual who made me realize I was noticed in the first place,” he continued.
