NEW DELHI: Virat Kohli said he had “given it everything” on Monday as he followed Rohit Sharma in retiring from Test cricket, days before India name their squad for a tour to England.
The batting great, one of the best players of his generation, a hero to millions of Indians and one of the top stars in world sport, scored 9,230 runs in 123 matches at an average of 46.85.
But his Test form has fallen away markedly in the last two years.
Since making his Test debut in 2011, Kohli struck 30 hundreds and 31 fifties with a highest score of 254 not out, mainly batting at number four in the order.
“It’s been 14 years since I first wore the baggy blue in Test cricket,” the 36-year-old Kohli posted to his 271 million followers on Instagram.
“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.
“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 retired from T20s last year but like Test captain Rohit, who announced his retirement from red-ball cricket last week, he is expected to continue in the one-day game.
An inspirational figure to Indian cricket fans, Kohli was the country’s most successful Test captain with 40 wins and 17 defeats in 68 matches before stepping down from the role in 2022.
“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,” Kohli said.
“I’ll always look back at my Test career with a smile.”
The fiercely competitive Kohli averaged close to 55 at his peak between 2011 and 2019, but he could muster only 32.56 over the past 24 months in Tests and had come under pressure.
Kohli’s last Test was in Sydney in January when India lost the match and with it the series 3-1 to Australia.
Apart from an unbeaten century in the second innings of the first Test in Perth, Kohli managed just 90 runs from eight innings in the five-Test series.
Kohli is part of the “Fab Four” quartet of batting greats who dominated Test cricket over the past decade, alongside Steve Smith of Australia, Kane Williamson of New Zealand and Joe Root of England.
Nicknamed “King Kohli”, he was India’s batting backbone across three international formats and ended his Twenty20 career with a match-winning innings in the World Cup final victory in Barbados last year.
Kohli then walked away from the shortest format along with Rohit.
Kohli’s retirement statement generated more than 11 million “likes” on social media as fans and fellow cricketers paid tribute.
India cricket coach Gautam Gambhir wrote on X: “A man with lion’s passion!”
“Your true legacy, Virat, lies in inspiring countless young cricketers to pick up the sport,” said Indian batting hero Sachin Tendulkar.
“What an incredible Test career you have had! You have given Indian cricket so much more than just runs - you have given it a new generation of passionate fans and players.”
South Africa great and Kohli’s IPL mate A.B. de Villiers called Kohli a “true legend”.
“Your determination & skill have always inspired me,” he wrote.
Pakistan’s pace bowling icon Wasim Akram called Kohli a “modern-day great”, saying, “he has written his place in the history books with golden words”.
Former Pakistan captain and ex-cricket board chief Ramiz Raja said, “It’s a pity that he never played in Pakistan because he would have revved up the emotions like nobody!.
“In my time playing and broadcasting no individual has done as much for Test cricket as Virat Kohli,” said former England captain Michael Vaughan.
Indian selectors are due next week to name the squad for the five-Test series in England. The first match begins on June 20 in Leeds.
Published in Dawn, May 13th, 2025
