Virat Kohli announced his retirement from Test cricket on Monday. This comes days after reports that he has informed the BCCI about his desire to retire from the format.
“It’s been 14 years since I first wore the baggy blue in Test cricket. Honestly, I never imagined that this format would take me on this journey. It tested me, shaped me and taught me lessons that I will carry with me for a lifetime,” Kohli said.
“Playing in whites is a very personal experience. The quiet toil, the long days, the little moments that no one sees but which stay with you forever,” he added.
The former skipper said the decision wasn’t easy but it’s the right one. He said he has given his all to the longest format of the game.
“When I’m stepping away from this format, it’s not easy – but it feels right. I’ve given it my all and it’s given me more than I expected.” “I leave with a heart full of gratitude for the game, for the people on the field and for everyone who gave me the opportunity to grow. I will always look back at my Test career with a smile. #269Goodbye.” Last week, skipper Rohit Sharma announced his retirement from Test cricket. Both the batting greats retired from T20Is after winning the World Cup last year. Both will now represent India only in ODIs and will likely play in the 2027 World Cup which will be held in South Africa. Kohli’s retirement means India will travel to England next month with a depleted middle order for the five-match Test series.
Virat Kohli’s Test legacy Kohli made his Test debut against the West Indies in 2011 and became captain three years later. He represented India in 123 Tests, scoring 9,230 runs including 30 centuries and 31 half-centuries. He averaged 46.9 in the red-ball format. Legendary batsman Kohli has been India’s most successful Test captain, registering 40 wins in 68 Tests. He led India to a historic Test series win in 2018-19 and a series draw in England in 2021-22. Under his captaincy, the Indian team remained invincible at home. His last Test was in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia (Sydney) earlier this year, which the hosts won by six wickets to seal the series 3-1 in their favour. In his 14-year Test career, Kohli became the fourth-highest run-scorer for India after Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and Sunil Gavaskar. However, the 36-year-old has been struggling for consistency lately, especially in his last tour of Australia. He scored just a century in his last series and scored 190 runs in nine innings. “If you ask me how much disappointment I felt, for me, the most recent Australia tour would be the most recent. So it might have felt the most intense for me,” Kohli said at the recent Royal Challengers Bangalore Summit. “For a long time, the England tour in 2014 was the thing that bothered me the most,” he added. “But I can’t look at it that way. I might not be able to tour Australia again in four years’ time, I don’t know,” he added.