Talismanic India batter Virat Kohli announced his retirement from Test cricket with immediate effect. (More Cricket News)
Kohli wrote on his Instagram account: "It바카라™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. It바카라™s tested me, shaped me, and taught me lessons I바카라™ll carry for life."
"There바카라™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. As I step away from this format, it바카라™s not easy 바카라” but it feels right. I바카라™ve given it everything I had, and it바카라™s given me back so much more than I could바카라™ve hoped for."
"I바카라™m walking away with a heart full of gratitude 바카라” for the game, for the people I shared the field with, and for every single person who made me feel seen along the way. I바카라™ll always look back at my Test career with a smile. #269, signing off."
Virat Kohli concludes a remarkable red-ball journey that spanned 123 matches and yielded 9230 runs, including 30 centuries and 31 half-centuries. His decision comes barely a week after Rohit Sharma바카라™s unexpected retirement from Test cricket, marking the end of an era for Indian batting in the longest format.
Kohli바카라™s Test story began in 2011 against the West Indies, but it was during the grueling 2011-12 tour of Australia that he truly came of age. Amidst collective batting failures, Kohli stood tall, culminating the series with a magnificent maiden hundred 바카라” 116 at Adelaide 바카라” which signaled his arrival as a mainstay in the Indian Test side.
As captain, Kohli transformed India into a dominant red-ball force, leading them in 68 Tests and winning 40 바카라” the most by any Indian skipper and fourth-most overall in Test history, behind only Graeme Smith, Ricky Ponting, and Steve Waugh.
His leadership saw India climb to the top of the Test rankings, win overseas, and develop a formidable pace-bowling arsenal. With 30 Test hundreds, Kohli finishes as India바카라™s fourth-highest century-maker behind Tendulkar, Dravid, and Gavaskar.
His seven double centuries remain an Indian record, and his 20 Test tons as captain stand far ahead of Gavaskar바카라™s 11.
