On May 12, 2025, the Renowned Indian Cricketer, Virat Kohli, announced his retirement from Test cricket, bringing an end to a remarkable 14-year career in the longest format of the game with immediate effect.
- He will continue representing India in One Day Internationals (ODIs) and play for the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in Indian Premier League (IPL).
About Virat Kohli:
i.Virat Kohli, 36-year-old batter, played 123 tests, scoring 9230 runs including 30 centuries and 31 fifties.
ii.He made his test debut in Jamaica in 2011 against the West Indies.
iii.He also captained India in 68 Tests, the highest by any Indian and leading the team to 40 victories between 2014 and 2022, and becoming the nation’s most successful Test Captain.
- His captaincy is statistically the most successful in Indian Test history, with a remarkable win percentage of 58.82%.
- Kohli also led India to their first-ever Test series victory on Australian soil in the 2018/19 Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
- Kohli-led India also held the No.1 spot on the ICC ( International Cricket Council) Test Team Rankings for five straight years from 2016 to 2021.
iv.His final appearance in the test format was at the test match of the Border Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) tournament against Australia at the Sydney Cricket Ground in Sydney, Australia.
v.His highest score, an unbeaten 254, came against South Africa in 2019 at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune.
vi.He is India’s fourth highest run-getter in the test cricket format after Sachin Tendulkar (15,921), Rahul Dravid (13265) and Sunil Gavaskar (10122).
Awards and honors:
i.In 2018, he was honoured with the ICC Test Player of the Year, for his overwhelming performance in the format.
ii.He was awarded as ICC ODI Player of the Year award in 2012, 2017 and 2018.
iii.In 2017 and 2018, he was honoured as ICC Cricketer of the Year award.
iv.He was conferred with Arjuna award in 2012.
v.He was conferred with Padma Shri, India’s fourth-highest civilian award in 2013.
vi.He was awarded Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award, which is now changed as Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award, India’s highest sporting honour in 2018.
vii.He was also awarded as Wisden Leading Cricketer in the World, one of the most prestigious recognitions in cricket, in 2018.
About International Cricket Council (ICC):
Chairman – Jay Shah (India)
Chief Executive Officer (CEO) – Geof Allardice
Headquarters – Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE)
Founded – 1909
