- By Gurmeet Batra
- Mon, 12 May 2025 11:52 AM (IST)
- Source:JND
Virat Kohli Test Retirement: India's batting mainstay Virat Kohli announced his retirement from the Test cricket on Monday, bringing the curtain down on a illustrious 14-year career spanning from 2011 to 2025.
The 36-year-old announced his decision ahead of India’s five-match Test series against England, calling time on a remarkable 14-year career in the longest format of the game.
The 36-year-old Kohli turned up in 123 Tests for India, scoring 9230 runs with 30 hundreds at an average of 46.85. He will only play in ODIs now, having already retired from T20 Internationals 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. It’s tested me, shaped me, and taught me lessons I’ll carry for life," Kohli said in a statement on his Instagram account.
"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. 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 star batter added.
"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 wrote.
"I’ll always look back at my Test career with a smile. #269, signing off," Kohli concluded.
Despite reported efforts by the BCCI to persuade Kohli to reconsider his retirement, the star batter Kohli doesn't change his mind and brought down the curtain on a glorious career of 14 years, including 123 Tests - 68 of them as captain - in which he scored 9230 runs at an average of 46.85.
The Indian maestro was the fulcrum of his team's batting lineup, retired as India’s fourth-highest run-getter in Test cricket, behind only legends like Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, and Sunil Gavaskar.
The 36-year-old's final appearance in the Test came in January against Australia at the Sydney Cricket Ground. With his unwavering dedication and unrelenting passion for the sport, Kohli in 123 Tests, amassed 9,230 runs at an average of 46.85, including 30 centuries and 31 half-centuries.
His retirement continues the exodus of Indian bigwigs from the Test arena. Ravichandran Ashwin (in December) and Rohit Sharma (last week) are the others to have called it quits in the format.
