Virat Kohli Announces Retirement From Test Cricket Ahead Of India's England Tour

Virat Kohli announced his retirement from Test cricket ahead of India's tour of England on Monday. Kohli's retirement follows Rohit Sharma's similar announcement last week.

Speculation of Kohli's announcement had been floating for the the last couple of days, with reports also emerging that the BCCI, the governing body for cricket in India, was trying to convince Kohli to stay on for the England tour which starts in June 2025.

"... 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," read Kohli's retirement announcement on social media platform Instagram.

Kohli went on to say that he was walking away from the format, which many consider the toughest in the sport, "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."

Virat Kohli, player number 269 for India in Test cricket had a remarkable run in the five day format achieving multiple milestones and records along the way.

Kohli's Test career started in 2011, the same year when India won the One Day International World Cup for the second time.

Overall, Kohli played 123 Tests 9,230 runs in his illustrious career, with 254 not out being his highest. The right-hand batter, who is considered one of the top batsman of the modern generation, averaged 46.9 runs per innings while laying in whites for India.

Some Of Kohli's Test Records:

• Sixth most matches as captain -- 68.

• Fourth most double hundreds in a career -- seven.

• Hundred in each innings of a match.

• Second-most double hundreds in a series -- two.

• Fifth in list of hundreds in consecutive innings -- three.

Kohli's Test retirement means that the former Indian captain will now represent the country only in the 50-over format.