Kohli was India's most successful Test captain with 40 wins from 68 matches.
Published May 12, 2025 | 5:33 PM ⚊ Updated May 12, 2025 | 5:33 PM
Virat Kohli.
Synopsis: Kohli, known for his on-field aggression and proactive thinking, holds the record for the most double centuries by an Indian in Test cricket with seven double tonnes, and is the Indian with the most double centuries in consecutive years.
Former India captain Virat Kohli, 36, has retired from Test cricket. Kohli — ‘The King’ to fans — announced his retirement in an Instagram post on Monday, 12 May.
“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,” he said, merely days after another India captain, Rohit Sharma, announced his retirement from cricket’s multi-day format.
“The quiet grind, the long days, the small moments that no one sees but that stay with you forever,” India’s fourth-highest run-scorer in Test cricket after Sachin Tendulkar (15,921), Rahul Dravid (13,265), and Sunil Gavaskar (10,122).
“As I step away from this format, it’s not easy — but it feels right,” Kohli, who has scored 9,230 runs from 23 Tests at an average of 46.8, continued.
“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,” he added.
The Delhi batter — and occasional medium pacer — was India’s most successful captain with 40 wins from 68 matches. India defeated Australia 2-1 for the first time Down Under with Kohli at the helm to lift the Border-Gavaskar trophy in 2018-19. It was under Kohli that India became the first-ranked Test team.
Kohli, known for his on-field aggression and proactive thinking, holds the record for the most double centuries by an Indian in Test cricket with seven double tonnes, and is the Indian with the most double centuries in consecutive years. He scored three double centuries in 2016-17.
He also has the record of the highest peak rating in men’s ranking for an Indian with 937 points in 2018.
Kohli’s retirement announcement that came ahead of India’s tour of England meant the Sydney Test against Australia was his last. It also meant that India in England would be short of experience with “Hitman” Sharma, Kohli, and Ravichandran Ashwin hanging up their boots.
