 "Virat Kohli celebrates after scoring a century. Image: Reuters")
Virat Kohli, one of the greatest batters in world cricket, has announced his retirement from Test cricket . The former India captain took to his official social media handles on Monday to share the news with his followers. This comes just days after India skipper Rohit Sharma stepped down from the longest format and said that he would only play ODIs from now on.
Kohli followed in Rohit’s footsteps and hung up his boots in Tests too. Earlier, both these players had retired from T20Is after winning the 2024 T20 World Cup. In a month’s time, India will travel to England for a five-match Test series and Kohli and Rohit will be missed dearly. Kohli’s retirement hasn’t come as a shock as there have been reports for the past few days suggesting that he might retire from Tests very soon.
Kohli gave many unforgettable moments to fans during his Test career. In 123 matches, Kohli has scored 9,230 runs at an average of 46.85, including 30 centuries and 31 half-centuries. He led India to the top of the Test rankings and played many match-winning innings.
Here are the top 5 Test knocks played by Virat Kohli in his amazing career:
115 & 141 vs Australia (Adelaide, 2014)
This was Virat Kohli’s first Test as captain, and he made it super special. In both innings of the match, he scored centuries, 115 in the first innings and 141 in the second. Even though India lost the match, Kohli showed his class.
235 vs England (Mumbai, 2016)
In this Test, Kohli played one of his best knocks ever. He scored 235 runs and helped India post a massive total. His double hundred helped India win the match and the series in a dominating fashion.
149 vs England (Edgbaston, 2018)
Kohli had a point to prove in England, and he did it in style. In tough conditions, Kohli stood tall and scored 149 runs. He took India close to England’s total all by himself. This innings is remembered for Kohli’s fight.
153 vs South Africa (Centurion, 2018)
In this match, India were struggling but Kohli played a captain’s knock. He scored 153 runs against a strong South African bowling attack. Though India lost the match, Kohli’s innings was a masterclass.
254 not out vs South Africa (Pune, 2019)
This is Kohli’s highest score in Test cricket. He remained not out on 254 and led India to a huge total. India won the match easily by innings and 137 runs. Kohli’s knock was made up of 33 fours and 2 sixes.