The all-time great cricketer Virat Kohli on May 12, 2025, made his Test retirement formal in a poignant Instagram announcement. Kohli, in his announcement, reflected on his 14-year Test career, detailing how Test cricket experimented, shaped, and instructed him on things he would never forget. "There is something intensely personal in playing in whites. The subdued toil, the long days, the minute things no one ever sees but which stay with you forever," Kohli penned. He addressed the sport with profound love to the sport, his opponents, and to the public, adding, "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 resigns as India's fourth-top Test run-scorer, with 9,230 runs from 123 matches at an average of 46.85 and 30 centuries and 31 half-centuries. His best score is an unbeaten 254 against South Africa in Pune in 2019. Kohli debuted in Tests in 2011 against the West Indies and played till the 2024–25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia, where he scored a century in Perth but was inconsistent in the following matches. His retirement comes mere days after Rohit Sharma's exit too from Test cricket, in what is now a closing chapter on an era in Indian cricket for its veterans.
Kohli’s captaincy record is equally impressive. He led India in 68 Tests, winning 40-making him the most successful Indian Test captain ever. Between 2016 and 2019, Kohli enjoyed a golden run, scoring 4,208 runs in 43 matches at an average of 66.79, with 16 centuries and 10 fifties. However, his form dipped in the 2020s, averaging just 30.72 in 39 Tests, with only three centuries in that period.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) paid special tribute to Kohli, acknowledging his immense contribution and stating that his legacy will continue to inspire future generations. Kohli’s decision to retire was reportedly his own, as his recent performances had led to questions about his place in the Test side, and the BCCI did not ask him to reconsider.
Now that Kohli has departed, India has a massive void in its Test batting order, especially with the team set to face a crucial five-match series against England from June 20, 2025. The side will now have to depend on the young guns to fill the shoes, as some of the big guns such as Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and Ravichandran Ashwin have deserted the format.
Kohli will now focus on limited-overs cricket, with his sights set on the 2027 ODI World Cup. His retirement from Tests closes a remarkable chapter in Indian cricket, defined by his aggressive batting, passionate leadership, and unwavering commitment to the team. As Kohli wrote in his farewell, “I’ll always look back at my Test career with a smile”.
