Virat Kohli announces retirement from Test cricket

In the extremity of an epoch for Indian Test cricket, Virat Kohli follows chap batting prima Rohit Sharma into retirement.

India batsman Virat Kohli announced his status from Test cricket, bringing down the curtain connected a sparkling vocation successful the longest format conscionable days aft skipper Rohit Sharma did the same.

Kohli, who made his debut successful 2011 and scored 30 centuries and 9,230 runs astatine an mean of 46.85 implicit 123 tests, is expected to stay disposable for one-day internationals.

The 36-year-old discontinue Twenty20 International instantly aft India won their 2nd 20-over World Cup trophy successful the West Indies past year.

“It’s been 14 years since I archetypal wore the baggy bluish successful trial cricket. Honestly, I ne'er imagined the travel this format would instrumentality maine on,” Kohli posted connected Instagram connected Monday.

“It’s tested me, shaped me, and taught maine lessons I’ll transportation for life.

“There’s thing profoundly idiosyncratic astir playing successful whites. The quiescent grind, the agelong days, the tiny moments that nary 1 sees but that enactment with you forever.”

The status of superstars Virat Kohli, left, and Rohit Sharma successful the abstraction of 1 week represents the extremity of an epoch successful Indian Test cricket [File: Abhishek Chinnappa/Getty Images]

While Kohli’s last trial wrapped up a 3-1 trial bid decision by Australia successful January, which saw India relinquish the Border-Gavaskar Trophy for the archetypal clip successful a decade, helium volition beryllium remembered astir for his spell arsenic skipper betwixt 2014 and 2022.

Kohli won 40 of his 68 tests successful complaint of India to go the country’s astir palmy skipper successful the format, and sits 4th successful the database of captains with the astir trial victories.

Only Graeme Smith (53), Ricky Ponting (48) and Steve Waugh (41) won much tests arsenic captains.

India suffered lone 17 defeats with Kohli astatine the helm arsenic helium guided the broadside to the last of the inaugural World Test Championship successful 2021, erstwhile they mislaid to New Zealand.

He was besides portion of the squad that mislaid the 2nd World Test Championship last to Australia successful 2023.

“I’m walking distant with a bosom afloat of gratitude – for the game, for the radical I shared the tract with, and for each azygous idiosyncratic who made maine consciousness seen on the way,” helium added.

“I’ll ever look backmost astatine my trial vocation with a smile.”

India’s adjacent trial duty is simply a five-match bid successful England from June 20.

Virat Kohli scored 9,230 runs from 123 Test matches for India [Morgan Hancock/Cricket Australia via Getty Images]