Cricket legend Virat Kohli has announced retirement from the Test format of the game.
In an illustrious career spanning 14 years, the 36-year-old Kohli played 123 Tests, scoring 9,230 runs at an average of 46.85.
While he excelled in the shorter formats of the game — One Day Internationals (ODI) and T20s – he left an indelible mark on Test cricket, leading the Indian team in 68 Tests between 2014 and 2022, winning 40 and losing 19.
In 2018-19, he became the first Indian Test captain to defeat Australia on their home ground.
Kohli first played for the Indian Test team in 2011 and had a modest beginning, not scoring his first century until his eighth Test.
But between 2016 and 2019, he scored 16 of his 30 test centuries – in the most difficult ground conditions – and eclipsing his generation’s top players.
Kohli retired from T20 internationals in 2024 after India won the World Cup, but is likely to continue playing ODIs.
His retirement from the Test format marks the end of an era in Indian cricket.
“As I step away from this format, it’s not easy – but it feels right,” Kohli said in an Instagram post.