Virat Kohli retires from Test cricket, says will at all times glance again at my Test profession with a grin

Mumbai: Virat Kohli, on Monday, introduced that he’s retiring from Test cricket, finishing a memorable 14-year adventure within the layout. The 36-year-old shared the inside track on Instagram, simply weeks prior to India’s five-Test sequence towards England begins on 20 June at Headingley in Leeds.

“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. 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, ” wrote Kohli.

“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. 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,” the previous India captain added.

BCCI congratulates Virat Kohli on a mythical Test profession

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) congratulates Virat Kohli on an peculiar Test profession that redefined the factors of excellence, management, and dedication in Indian Cricket.

Virat’s departure from the longest layout brings to an in depth a bankruptcy that no longer most effective increased Indian Cricket at the international level but in addition rekindled public pastime for Test cricket in an technology ruled by means of limited-overs codecs. He positioned the purest type of the sport again on a pedestal. His deep recognize for the layout was once glaring no longer most effective in his phrases however within the fierce satisfaction with which he wore India’s whites.

From his debut towards the West Indies in 2011 to his ultimate Test previous this 12 months, Virat’s red-ball profession spanned 14 years of ideally suited consistency, unrivaled competitiveness, and ambitious management. He finishes his Test profession with 9,230 runs in 123 fits, averaging 46.85 with 30 centuries and 31 fifties.

However, his true affect transcends numbers. He redefined the perspective with which Indian Cricket approached Test fits—relentless, competitive, and uncompromising. As captain, he led India in 68 Tests and recorded 40 victories, making him probably the most a success Test captain within the historical past of Indian cricket. Under his management, India ascended to the No. 1 rating and stayed on the pinnacle for 42 consecutive months.

His 115 and 141 within the Adelaide Test on his captaincy debut in 2014 set the tone for what was once to apply. The competitive intentions had been made transparent as India didn’t go into reverse from a chase of 364. In the method, he turned into the primary visiting batter since 1961 to attain two centuries in a Test in Australia—a feat that is still unrivaled. The hardest combatants ceaselessly introduced out the most efficient in him, and it was once in 2018–19 that India, below his management, turned into the primary Asian facet to win a Test sequence in Australia.

Under his management, India additionally notched out of the country victories in Sri Lanka and the West Indies and completed as runner-up within the first-ever ICC World Test Championship Final in 2021. At house, India remained unbeaten in a Test sequence below his captaincy and received 10 of the 11 sequence he led in.

Beyond the sector, his legacy is actually mirrored within the tradition he constructed—a more healthy, more difficult, and extra combative Indian group that believed in its talent to win anyplace on this planet. He impressed a era of cricketers to regard Test cricket as without equal level of persona and talent.

Roger Binny, President, BCCI, mentioned: “Virat Kohli’s name will be remembered alongside the finest ever to have graced Test cricket. What set him apart was not just his hunger for runs, but his commitment to excellence in the toughest format of the game. His leadership marked a shift in how India competed overseas—with aggression, belief, and a refusal to settle for second best. He inspired a generation to take pride in the whites, and his impact on Indian cricket will be felt for decades to come.”

Devajit Saikia, Honorary Secretary, BCCI, mentioned: “Test cricket found not just an ambassador, but a true guardian in Virat Kohli. He led from the front, drove standards higher, and placed unmatched emphasis on fitness, discipline, and mental toughness. His batting performances—especially in challenging overseas conditions—have become reference points for future cricketers. He retires from this format as India’s most successful Test captain, setting the bar very high for the next generation.”