Indian batting stalwart Virat Kohli’s recent social media post left the entire cricket world shocked and emotional after he officially announced his retirement from test cricket. On May 12 (Monday), Team India’s ace batter posted a heartbreaking message on his , drawing curtains to his glorious 14 years of test cricket career.
It is reported that the former Indian captain has informed the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to retire from the longest format ahead of India’s upcoming tour of England, commencing on June 20.
Several reports earlier claimed that the veteran batter informed the BCCI chief selector Ajit Agarkar in the previous month to retire from test cricket before the start of the next World Test Championship (WTC) 2025-27 cycle in June.
Within a few days after Rohit Sharma officially announced his test cricket retirement Instagram story, absence of Virat Kohli dealt a massive blow to India’s test cricket squad. Previously, the Ro-Ko partners (Rohit and Kohli) together stepped down from the 20-over format after India’s T20 World Cup 2024 triumph and said that they would shift their focus to tests and ODIs.
The Indian cricket team is experiencing a transition moment as the modern-day legendary batter seems to follow Rohit’s footsteps.
BCCI Requested to Reconsider Kohli’s Decision
The BCCI has tried its best to convince Virat Kohli to continue playing red-ball cricket. However, one of the closest sources to the board said that the 36-year-old remained firm with his stance:
“Possibly! It was about two weeks back when Kohli informed the selectors about his willingness to step down from Tests. They tried convincing him to play in the forthcoming test series against England. But his statement is still unchanged. However, the final decision will unfold in the selection meeting next week,” the source said to TOI.
The Indian cricket board is said to have discussed with Kohli about this matter, citing his importance to fill the void in the inexperienced middle order. With India’s test squad expected to be announced at the end of May, the selectors now have a tough time picking a replacement for the England tour after Virat’s sudden decision to retire from test cricket.
BCCI Was Not Ready for Virat Kohli’s Test Cricket Retirement
One of the BCCI officials reacted to the speculations, saying that the board has requested Kohli to take his time before making a final decision:
“See! He was still fit and hungry to score runs. His presence in the dressing room encourages the entire team. We have requested that he take some time before he makes any final call,” the BCCI official said.
Did Virat Kohli Demand BCCI to Reinstate Him as Test Captain?
The reports provided by The Times of India stated that Kohli approached the BCCI to reactivate his test captaincy. It is said that the board preferred a younger leader, with Shubman Gill being the possible heir, and denied his request:
“See! A new WTC cycle is yet to begin. Keeping in mind the future and continuity, the head coach Gautam Gambhir expressed his views to have a consistent group of players, with whom he can work for an extended duration. Especially for a crucial series, the temporary fixes won’t work. The team hasn’t performed well in the last two series, and the upcoming five-match test series in England will be extremely important,” the source shared the information with TOI.
Possibly, this could be one of the main reasons for Kohli to declare his announcement, citing his unwillingness to play under a young captain.
Virat Kohli’s 10,000-Run Milestone Remains Incomplete After His Test Cricket Retirement
With only seven batters having amassed 10,000-plus runs in ODIs and Tests, Virat Kohli falls short of 770 runs in Tests to become the latest entrant in the list. However, it is a heartbreaking moment for all fans that the King of Cricket announced his retirement sooner than expected.
Since his test debut in 2011, the right-handed batter accumulated 9,230 runs in 210 innings, averaging at 46.85, thereby establishing himself as India’s fourth batter to score the most runs in tests, ranking behind these legendary stars:
- Sachin Tendulkar: 15,921 Runs
- Rahul Dravid: 13,228 Runs
- Sunil Gavaskar: 10,122 Runs
Here’s what Virat Kohli said about his 10,000-run milestone in one of his old interviews back in 2013:
“See! I won’t keep a track of records. It is only after the match that I come to know that the century I scored was the fastest to 10 or 15 like that. Before the game, I was not aware of such records. Moreover, I won’t focus on such factors as ‘Oh! I have only 4 or 5 innings left, and if I can manage to score 2 to 3 tons, I will be easily able to set a new record.’
But this is not my thought process. My goal is to score 10,000 runs in test cricket, and this is something special I wish to achieve in my career,” Kohli said.
Why Did Kohli Quit Test Cricket Suddenly?
Kohli experienced one of his downfall moments in the 2024-25 Test season. In the five-match test series of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) in Australia, the experienced batter managed to compile just 190 runs in 9 innings, out of which his only century was scored in the first test in Perth.
Also, in the 3-match home test series against New Zealand in the previous year, October, Virat scored 93 runs in 6 innings, including his highest score of 70, in the series opener.
However, it is to be noted that Kohli is the fifth leading run scorer in the history of Border Border-Gavaskar series, having scored 2,169 runs in 51 innings.
Most importantly, Virat’s decision to retire from the longest format comes just five days after his long-term teammate Rohit Sharma announced his exit via Instagram story on May 07 (Wednesday).
It is understood that the King of Cricket adhered to his decision and made an exit before the England tour, leaving him to miss out on huge milestones in the Test format.