India great Virat Kohli retired from test cricket Monday after playing 123 matches in his 14-year red-ball career.
Kohli made his test debut in 2011 against West Indies and has been India’s standout batter since Sachin Tendulkar’s retirement in 2013.
Kohli scored 9,230 runs, including 30 centuries and 31 half-centuries, at a test batting average of 46.85. He also led India in 68 test matches and was India’s most successful captain with 40 test wins.
India’s Virat Kohli avoids to play a rising delivery during the day three of the first cricket test match between India and New Zealand at the M.Chinnaswamy Stadium, in Bengaluru, India, Friday, Oct. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Aijaz Rahi)
The former India captain is one of the highest-profile people in cricket, with 271 million followers on Instagram and almost 68 million on X, and he owns batting records in the longest and the limited-overs formats. He’s expected to continue playing one-day international cricket, and he’s still heavily involved in the lucrative Twenty20 Indian Premier League.
Kohli also led India to the International Cricket Council’s No. 1 ranking in test cricket after taking over from Mahendra Singh Dhoni in 2014-15, and helped his side maintain a stronghold on that position for five years.
India’s Virat Kohli celebrates his first Test hundred against Australia during their cricket test match in Adelaide, Australia, Thursday, Jan. 26, 2012. (AP Photo/David Mariuz)
Indian cricket captain Virat Kohli leads his team off the field after their victory over England by 203 runs in the third cricket test match at Trent Bridge in Nottingham, England, Wednesday, Aug. 22, 2018. (AP Photo/Rui Vieira)
India’s Virat Kohli plays a shot during play on the second day of the fourth cricket test between Australia and India at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne, Australia, Friday, Dec. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Asanka Brendon Ratnayake)
India’s captain Virat Kohli, center, addresses his teammates as they prepare to take to the field during play on day four of the third cricket test between India and Australia in Melbourne, Australia, Saturday, Dec. 29, 2018. (AP Photo/Asanka Brendon Ratnayake)
In 2018, he guided India to its first ever test series victory against Australia in Australia.
“As I step away from this format, it’s not easy — but it feels right,” Kohli posted on Instagram. “It’s been 14 years since I first wore the baggy blue in Test cricket. Honestly, I never imagined the journey this format would take me on. It’s tested me, shaped me, and taught me lessons I’ll carry for life.”
FILE- India’s captain Virat Kohli walks onto the field during play on day four of the third cricket test between India and Australia in Melbourne, Australia, Saturday, Dec. 29, 2018. (AP Photo/Asanka Brendon Ratnayake, File)
India’s Virat Kohli gestures during the third day of their second cricket test match against New Zealand in Bangalore, India, Sunday, Sept. 2, 2012. (AP Photo/Aijaz Rahi)
India’s captain Virat Kohli plays a shot during the fourth day of the first cricket test match against South Africa in Visakhapatnam, India, Saturday, Oct. 5, 2019. (AP Photo/Mahesh Kumar A.)
India captain Virat Kohli smiles as he walks between the wickets after an over during the fifth cricket test match of a five match series between England and India at the Oval cricket ground in London, Friday, Sept. 7, 2018. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham)
India’s cricket captain Virat Kohli dives to catch a ball during a training session ahead of their second test cricket match against Sri Lanka in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Tuesday, Aug. 1, 2017. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena, File)
India’s Virat Kohli comes out to bat during the first day of the third cricket test match between India and New Zealand at Wankhede Stadium, in Mumbai, India, Friday, Nov. 1, 2024.(AP Photo/Rajanish Kakade)
Indian test cricket team captain Virat Kohli celebrates as the last South African wicket of Morne Morkel, right, falls to give India a 3-0 win in the test series in New Delhi, India, Monday, Dec. 7, 2015. (AP Photo /Tsering Topgyal)
India’s captain Virat Kohli walks back after the toss on the first day of third test cricket match between England and India, at Headingley cricket ground in Leeds, England, Wednesday, Aug. 25, 2021. (AP Photo/Jon Super)
India’s captain Virat Kohli looks skywards as he celebrates scoring double century during the third day of their second test cricket match against Sri Lanka in Nagpur, India, Sunday, Nov. 26, 2017. (AP Photo/Rajanish Kakade)
India’s captain Virat Kohli gestures towards Australia’s Matt Renshaw as he runs to celebrate the dismissal of David Warner during the fourth day of their third test cricket match in Ranchi, India, Sunday, March 19, 2017. (AP Photo/Aijaz Rahi)
India’s captain Virat Kohli walks with the series trophy after day four of the second Test cricket match against West Indies at Sabina Park cricket ground in Kingston, Jamaica Monday, Sept. 2, 2019. India won by 257 runs. (AP Photo/Ricardo Mazalan)
India’s Virat Kohli bats during the second day of the cricket test match between India and South Africa in Pune, India, Friday, Oct. 11, 2019. (AP Photo/Rajanish Kakade)
Indian players are reflected in the goggles of team captain Virat Kohli before the start of the fourth day’s play of their second cricket test match against Sri Lanka in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Sunday, Aug. 6, 2017. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)
India’s captain Virat Kohli takes a selfie with fans after attending a training session ahead of their second cricket test match against South Africa, in Bangalore, India, Thursday, Nov. 12, 2015. (AP Photo/Aijaz Rahi)
India’s Virat Kohli watches the ball after playing a shot during play on the second day of the fourth cricket test between Australia and India at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne, Australia, Friday, Dec. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Asanka Brendon Ratnayake)
India’s Virat Kohli poses with his wife Anshuka Sharma during the facilitation ceremony of Kohli for his 100th Test ahead of the first test match between India and Sri Lanka in Mohali, India, Friday, March 4, 2022. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)
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