Now Reading: Virat Kohli Retires from Test Cricket
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Virat Kohli Retires from Test Cricket
Indian cricket star Virat Kohli has announced his retirement from Test cricket.
Kohli made the announcement on Monday through a post on Instagram.
In his Test career, Kohli played 123 matches and scored 9,230 runs at an average of 46.85.
“It has been 14 years since I wore the Test cap for the first time. Honestly, I never imagined how far this format would take me. It tested me, shaped me, and taught me life lessons,” Kohli wrote in his post.
“Now, I’m stepping away from this format. It wasn’t an easy decision, but it feels right. I’ve given everything I had to this game, and it has given me more than I ever imagined,” he added.
Kohli said he will always look back at his Test career with a smile.
He made his Test debut in 2011 against the West Indies. Three years later, he became the captain.
Kohli led India in 68 Test matches — the most by any Indian Test captain. Under his leadership, India won 40 matches, drew 11, and lost only 17, making him India’s most successful Test captain with a win rate of 58.82%.
In 2019, under Kohli’s captaincy, India won a historic Test series in Australia for the first time. His final Test was also against Australia in Sydney earlier this year during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Australia won that match by 6 wickets.
Kohli scored 30 centuries and 31 half-centuries in Test cricket. His highest score was an unbeaten 254 against South Africa in 2019.
Last year, Kohli retired from T20 Internationals after helping India win the T20 World Cup.
His announcement comes just days after Rohit Sharma also retired from Test cricket. Shubman Gill is now considered a strong candidate to become India’s next Test captain.
