India legend Virat Kohli explains shock decision to retire from Test cricket

Ex-India captain Virat Kohli has retired from Test cricket (Picture: Getty)

Virat Kohli has retired from Test cricket ahead of India’s tour of England this summer.

Kohli is considered one of the best players of his generation, having scored 9,230 runs at an average of 47 in 123 Test matches.

The 36-year-old scored 30 centuries in the format on top of the 52 he has made in international white-ball cricket.

Kohli’s decision comes just days after fellow ex-India captain Rohit Sharma announced his retirement from the Test game.

Rohit was believed to have been pushed out by the BCCI but Kohli’s decision comes as a surprise as he was expected to be part of India’s squad for this summer’s much-anticipated five-match Test series in England.

Kohli had even been named as a potential replacement for Rohit as India’s Test captain but the modern-day great has now walked away from the format for good.

‘It’s been 14 years since I first wore the baggy blue in Test cricket,’ he said. ‘Honestly, I never imagined the journey this format would take me on.

Kohli scored 30 centuries and 31 fifties in Test cricket (Picture: Getty)

‘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.

‘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.’

More to follow…