On Monday, Virat Kohli came online and declared his permanent retirement from Test cricket. He made this announcement after recent news came regarding him from BCCI. It is heard the Board of Control for Cricket in India took a risky decision regarding Virat Kohli. His sudden retirement from long-form cricket will be seen as a new start for the upcoming World Test Championship cycle.
News media claimed that the BCCI itself informed Virat that he was no longer a star player in the Test Team. Even though they were looking forward with him regarding the 5 match test series against England in June 2025.
Instagram Post of Virat Kohli Announcing Test Retirement
“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.” He posted on social media, “The silent grind, the long days, the little moments that no one sees but that stay with you forever.”
But it felt ‘right’ to him, Virat added, even though the decision to end things wasn’t simple. “It’s difficult for me to leave this format, but it feels right. It has returned far more than I could have imagined after I gave it everything I had. I’m leaving with a heart full of appreciation for the game, the teammates I played with, and everyone who helped me feel like I was seen.”
“#269, signing off,” he said, adding, “I’ll always look back at my test career with a smile.”
Virat Kohli’s test career
Kohli’s Test Cricket career thrived for 14 years, in which he played 123 Tests, scoring a total of 9230 runs with an average of 46.85. In a white jersey, he led the team as a captain for 68 matches and won 40 of them. Under his leadership, Team India only lost 17 matches and drew 11. His outstanding home record win by playing 31 matches, and winning 24 of them. Under his captaincy, India became dangerous for opponents in home ground.
Virat Kohli started his Test Cricket Career in 2011 after winning the Cricket World Cup in his home country. He played against the West Indies in Kingston in India’s tour of the West Indies. He started slow by scoring 76 runs in the 5 innings on that tour. Kohli played an impressive match the next year when he scored 52 & 63 at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai against West Indies. Though he struggled at the beginning of his start, he was definitely starting as a promising player of the team.
Virat Kohli’s first big challenge was against Australia in 2014-2015. He scored two centuries in Adelaide and also scored single centuries in Melbourne as well as in Sydney. In the test series, he scored a total of 692 runs with an average of 86.50. By then, he was also the Test Captain of Team India.
During his golden era of Test Cricket he had an average of 76.93 in 2016, to 68.00 in 2019. In that time frame, he played 35 tests, scoring 3596 runs with 14 centuries and 8 half centuries.
Struggle with First Class Cricket
Recently, we have seen the 36-year-old Cricketer having a difficult time with red ball cricket. Against Australia, he scored 190 runs in 5 matches in the 2024-25 series. He scored one century in Perth, and that was the only big thing he managed to make. He saw his worst format against the New Zealand home series where he only scored 93 runs in 6 innings.
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