After days of speculation, Indian cricket great Virat Kohli has confirmed his retirement from Test cricket with immediate effect in an emotional post on Instagram. After India Test captain Rohit Sharma confirmed his retirement from the longest format of the game, report of Kohli communicating the same intent to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) emerged, sending shockwaves across the cricketing spectrum. It was reported that the board is in talks with Kohli to make him change his mind, but it seems that the outcome was unsuccessful.
In his post, Virat recalled his debut 14 years ago, when he wore the baggy blue for the first time in his career.
“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 wrote on social media.
Virat Kohli’s Instagram post. pic.twitter.com/DtxU7PHVLY
— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) May 12, 2025
Virat also said that the decision to call it quits wasn’t an easy one, but it felt ‘right’ to him. “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 featured for India in a total of 123 Tests, scoring 9,230 runs at an average of 46.85, including 30 centuries and 31 fifties, with the highest score of 254. Be it home or away, Virat ruled the roost with his bat, making his runs do the talking. However, he will probably have one regret, not reaching the 10,000 run mark in Tests.
Kohli’s retirement from the longest format of the game adds to the exodus of Indian veterans. Ravichandran Ashwin (in December) and Rohit Sharma (last week) have already called it quits, and now Virat has become the third one to follow suit. There have been talks over the future of senior pacer Mohammed Shami in the Test team too.
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