The Indian large Virat Kohli has been withdrawn from Test match cricket ahead of the series in England this summer.
The 36-year-old, who debuted 14 years ago, follows former Indian Captain Rohit Sharma (38), to retire after speculation about his future grew over the past few days.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) had hoped to keep Kohli on board the series against England this summer, but the former captain thought the time had come to hang his whites up.
He announced his retirement on social media and says the test cricket ‘helped shape who he is as a person’ and ‘taught him lessons he will carry for life’.
Kohli wrote on Instagram: “It’s been 14 years since I first wore the baggy blue in the test cricket. Honestly, I never imagined the journey this format would take me on. It has tested me, shaped me and taught me lessons I will carry for life.
“There is something deeply personal about playing in white. The quiet grinding, the long days, the little moments that no one sees, but which stay with you forever.
“When I step away from this format, it’s not easy – but it feels right. I’ve given it all I had and it has given me so much more than I could have hoped for.
“I go away with a heart full of gratitude – for the game, for the people I shared the field with, and for every single person that made me feel along the way.
“I will always look back on my test career with a smile. #269 that logs out.”
After distinguishing himself in Odi Cricket for India, Kohli debuted his test match on June 20, 2011 against the West Indies in Sabina Park, Kingston and started a lack of start to his test career with scores of only 4 and 15 in his two rounds.
However, he quickly settled in the format and, with his aggressive temperament and uninhibited skill, became one of the best fighters in the world’s cricket over the longest format of the game.
In 2014, he took over the captain of Mrs. Dhoni and became the face of the Indian cricket, which led the team for eight years until 2022, when he handed the governments to Sharma after a lean period of bats.
Kohli played 123 tests over 14 years and scored 9,230 races on average 46.85. He was regularly kept to a large extent all over the world and was seized as one of the ‘Fab Four’ test campsides along with New Zealand’s Kane Williamson, Australia’s Steve Smith and England’s Joe Root.
He is in fourth place in India’s all -time list of test drivers, with his laps including 30 centuries and a highest amount of 254 not out against South Africa in 2019.
Kohli scored his recent century against Australia in Perth in November, but it was his only big score in the series and his first Testton since the summer of 2023.
Kohli withdrew from the International T20 format after India’s World Cup win last year.
India is going to England for a five-match series this summer beginning on June 20, and the retirement of Kohli and Sharma leave BCCI with big shoes to fill in front of the trip.