Kohli’s contribution to Indian Test cricket extends far beyond the stats.
Virat Kohli Announces Retirement from Test Cricket After 14-Year Career. Batting great Virat Kohli announced his immediate retirement from Test cricket on Monday, days after India announced their squad for the tour of England.
“When I step away from this format, it’s not easy – but it feels right,” the 36-year-old Kohli wrote on Instagram. “I gave it everything I had, and it gave me back more than I could have ever hoped for.”
Kohli, who made his debut in 2011 and has scored 30 centuries and 9,230 runs in 123 Tests at an average of 46.85, is expected to remain available for one-day internationals.
The 36-year-old retired from Twenty20 Internationals shortly after India won their second T20 World Cup trophy in the West Indies last year.
“It’s been 14 years since I first wore the baggy blue in Test cricket,” Kohli posted on Instagram. “Honestly, I never imagined this format would take me on this journey.”
“It tested me, shaped me, and taught me lessons that I will carry with me for the rest of my life.”
“There’s something deeply personal about playing in whites. The silent grind, the long days, the little moments that no one sees but they always stay with you.”
While Kohli’s last Test was a 3-1 Test series defeat to Australia in January that saw India withdraw from the Border-Gavaskar Trophy for the first time in a decade, he will be best remembered for his spell as captain between 2014-2022.
Kohli became the country’s most successful captain in the format, winning 40 of his 68 Tests in charge of India and is fourth on the list of captains with the most Test victories.
Only Graeme Smith (53), Ricky Ponting (48) and Steve Waugh (41) have won more Tests as captain.
India have suffered just 17 defeats under Kohli since he guided the team to the final of the inaugural World Test Championship in 2021, where they lost to New Zealand.
He He was also part of the team that lost the second World Test Championship final to Australia in 2023.
He added, “I leave 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 will always look back on my Test career with a smile.”
India’s next Test assignment is a five-match series in England starting June 20.
“An era in Test cricket ends but a legacy will live on!” the Board of Control for Cricket in India wrote on X upon the former captain’s retirement announcement.
