Virat Kohli announces retirement from Test cricket before England tour

Former India skipper Virat Kohli has announced his retirement from Test cricket with immediate effect. Kohli, who scored 93 runs in six innings against New Zealand and 190 against Australia in 10 innings, had visibly fallen behind in Test cricket in terms of numbers, technique and output but with Rohit Sharma calling it a day in the format last week, it seemed like the Indian batting great might stay for a bit longer but it wasn't it.

"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 long statement on Instagram. Kohli amassed 9,230 runs after 123 appearances, averaging 46.85 while scoring 30 centuries and 31 fifties. 

"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," Kohli added. Kohli and Rohit both stepped away from T20 cricket after the T20 World Cup triumph in the West Indies and the USA last year and now have walked into the sunset in red-ball cricket as well,



which certainly puts the importance of the 2027 ODI World Cup on the pedestal, since that is the only format remaining for both of them.

"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. I’ll always look back at my Test career with a smile," Kohli mentioned.

India's most successful captain in Tests, Kohli, witnessed a slump in his run-scoring form since the COVID as the gap is astounding. Until 2019, Kohli was averaging 54.97 in Tests, scoring 7,202 runs in 141 innings (84 matches). However, since the start of 2020, Kohli has amassed just 2,028 runs in 69 innings (39 matches) at an average of 30.72, with just three centuries.

The dip was visible, the frustration was palpable and uneasiness was in the air as far as Kohli in whites was concerned. 2016-17 was Kohli's Test peak as a batter and a captain as India blew opponents out of the water at home and the India great was batting like a million dollars. Kohli averaged 75.94 and 75.64 in those consecutive years, scoring nine hundreds in a span of 24 months, one-third of what he has done in the last five years.

The world cricket will miss Kohli, the Test batter, who for once infused the intensity, commitment and life the format deserved.