India’s batting stalwart Virat Kohli announced his retirement from Test cricket on Monday, May 12. Kohli retires from Tests having scored 9230 runs from his 123 matches, with 30 Test centuries and 31 fifties and many other memorable innings across a glorious career.
The 36-year-old Kohli took to social media to reveal the news to the cricket world.
“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,” Virat wrote in a post on Instagram.
“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,” he added.
The former India captain said that it wasn’t him to stay away from Test cricket but the decision felt right.
“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,” he said.
“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. #269, signing off,” he concluded.
Who Was The Last Bowler To Remove Virat Kohli In Tests?
Under Virat Kohli’s captaincy, India registered 40 wins from his 68 Tests, making him the most successful Indian men’s captain in the red-ball format, in terms of wins.
The Sydney Test of the Border–Gavaskar Trophy series against Australia in January will go down as the last game of his career in the longest format of cricket. He registered the scores of just 17 & 6 in that match.
Kohli’s final dismissal as a Test batter came when he edged a delivery from Scott Boland to Steve Smith at slip during the Sydney Test earlier this year.
India’s most successful Test captain Kohli has left behind a legacy that is going to stand for ages.
