'#269 signing off' - Virat Kohli retires from Test cricket

Star India batter Virat Kohli has announced his decision to step down from Test cricket on Monday, May 12. He confirmed the same via an Instagram post. This means that he will play for the national team only in One-Day Internationals, since he has already retired from T20Is post the Men in Blue won the T20 World Cup in June 2024.

Taking to Instagram, Kohli wrote that he never imagined the way his journey in red-ball cricket has taken him, and even shaped him in a way and taught him lessons that he'll carry for life. The small moments he had on the field in whites are forever to be cherished for the ace batter, he reckons.

"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 captioned his post.

Check Kohli's post here

It's not easy - but it feels right: Kohli

With his retirement, Kohli did convey that arriving at the decision wasn't the easiest of the choices for him, but he also feels that it is the right time to sign off. He further expressed that he will look back at his Test career with a smile on his face. 

"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. #269, signing off," he concluded.

Kohli ended his career with 123 Tests to his name, aggregating a total of 9230 runs with 30 centuries and 51 half-centuries. He also has a total of seven double centuries, the most by an Indian batter. All of those came as captain as well - another record. Making his debut against the West Indies in 2011 at Kingston, Jamaica, Kohli went on to become the backbone of the Indian batting unit ever since.

He also had the privilege to lead India in 68 matches, when MS Dhoni stepped aside. Since then, India won 40 games under Kohli's inspiring leadership, which also made him the most successful Indian captain in the format. During his stint, India was also the No. 1 Test side for roughly five years, which is a staggering achievement, none of the other captains have achieved.

His decision to call it a day in whites comes as India's tour to England for a five-match Test series is on the beckoning. The 36-year-old last represented the team in the red-ball format against Australia at the Sydney Cricket Ground during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25. On that tour, Kohli made a hundred in the first Test, but his struggles in the format that had continued since 2020 were evident as he could add only another 100 runs in the series to end with an average of 25.00.

Where did the end begin?

Till 2019, the world witnessed the peak of the modern master in Tests. In the Pune Test against South Africa that year, Kohli also registered his highest score of 254*. In the last five years that he played, the New Delhi-born averaged only 30.72, with only three centuries and nine half-centuries. His issues to leave the ball outside the off-stump had seen his wickets fly on out-swinging deliveries became a striking pattern and the batter had been at the back of massive criticism for fans and experts alike for the same.

Having solidified the No. 4 spot for India in his 14-year-long Test career, Kohli has also been among the most decorated batters of the current generation. He retires as one of the best batters the Indian team has produced.