Why Virat Kohli has retired from Test cricket: 'It’s not easy — but it feels right'

Dubai: He walked out of the Test arena just as he had entered it 14 years ago — with quiet conviction and unflinching pride. Virat Kohli’s retirement from red-ball cricket has brought the curtain down on one of India’s most passionate and prolific Test careers. A few days after Rohit Sharma called time on his own journey in whites, Kohli announced his exit with a heartfelt message on social media.

“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,” Kohli wrote on Instagram.

“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.”

Kohli, who ended his T20I career on a high after winning the World Cup in Barbados last year, finishes his red-ball journey with 123 Tests, 9,230 runs at an average of 46.85, including 30 centuries and 31 fifties across 210 innings. His highest score remains the unbeaten 254 not out. He retires as India’s fourth-highest run-scorer in the format, behind Sachin Tendulkar (15,921), Rahul Dravid (13,265), and Sunil Gavaskar (10,122).

Kohli’s final century came in Perth during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy last year. While that knock was a reminder of his class, his form in the later stages of his Test career didn’t match his lofty standards.

He ended 2024 with just 382 runs in 10 Tests at a disappointing average of 22.47, with only one century and one fifty in 19 innings. His final series was on the Australia tour between November and January, where he managed 190 runs in nine innings at 23.75. That century in Perth was his first since July 2023, when he reached three figures against the West Indies at Port of Spain. His last ton at home came earlier that year against Australia in Ahmedabad.

A batter who never shied away from a challenge, a fiery leader, and a relentless competitor — Kohli will be missed by fans and rivals alike. Still among the fittest in the Indian squad, and arguably in better shape than many younger players, Kohli might have had more years left in him. But King Kohli has chosen to end his reign in whites on his own terms — with gratitude, grace, and greatness.