Virat Kohli Bids Emotional FAREWELL to Test Cricket, Marking the End of a Glorious Era

While adding that he would look back at his Test career with the Indian national team with a smile, Virat Kohli ended the farewell message with an anecdote, that read out ‘#269, Signing off’. The number 269 was a subtle reference to his Test cap that he received when he made his red-ball debut for India, against the West Indies on June 20, 2011, in Kingston, Jamaica.

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… As I step away from this format, it’s not easy – but it feels right.

Virat Kohli’s farewell message via Instagram

The 36-year-old batter enjoyed a flamboyant 14-year long Test career. Kohli represented India in 123 Test matches, scoring 9,230 runs at an average of 46.9, hitting 30 centuries and 31 half-centuries. He is India’s fourth-highest run-getter in the Test cricket, behind Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and Sunil Gavaskar. Kohli also holds the record for the most double centuries by an Indian in Tests, having scored seven.

What stands out is his stint as Test captain, which lasted from 2014 to 2022. He established his place as India’s most successful red-ball skipper, with 40 wins in the 68 Test matches that he led in, which includes a historic series victory in Australia in 2018-19. Under Kohli’s captaincy, the Indian team maintained an impressive 11-year undefeated run at home.

Kohli’s Test captaincy boasts a 58.82% win rate, making him the fourth most successful Test captain of all time, after former South African captain Graeme Smith, and former Australian skippers, Ricky Ponting and Steve Waugh. However, the former India captain has struggled to remain consistent over the past year, with his average dropping from a peak of around 55, before 2019, to 40 and below, after that.

In his last Test series, the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia, he only scored 190 runs in nine innings, as India lost the series 3-1. Kohli faced criticism for struggling with deliveries outside the off-stump and for not converting starts into big scores. Consequently, he has now decided to retire from Tests, with the Sydney Test against Australia being his final match, which India lost by six wickets.

Moreover, Virat Kohli’s decision to retire comes shortly after Rohit Sharma also announced the end of his red-ball career earlier this week. Last year, both players had already retired from T20 Internationals after India’s win in the 2024 T20 World Cup. Despite holding top-tier BCCI contracts (Grade A++), both Kohli and Sharma will now only be available for ODIs for India.

With three key Test players, Kohli, Sharma and R. Ashwin having retired, the BCCI now faces a daunting challenge in finding replacements ahead of the upcoming five-match Test series in England. It therefore, makes an early transitional period for the Indian Test team.

Virat Kohli makes first public appearance with wife Anushka Sharma, following Test retirement 

Indian cricket icon Virat Kohli was snapped with his actor-wife Anushka Sharma at Mumbai airport on Monday, moments after he announced his retirement from Test cricket. Kohli called time on his red-ball career with the Men in Blue on social media. 

Wearing a relaxed outfit, Kohli left for Bengaluru, amid reports that the 2025 IPL season could resume within the next few days. The BCCI had paused the IPL for a week due to heightened border tensions between India and Pakistan. However, with both countries agreeing to de-escalate the situation and implement a ceasefire, the tournament is anticipated to resume shortly.

Virat Kohli will rejoin the Royal Challengers Bengaluru setup, as the team aims to secure a play-offs spot. RCB are currently placed second on the points table, having secured 16 points from 11 matches. Kohli has been the team’s leading run-scoring getter with 505 runs at an average of 63.13.