Former India captain Virat Kohli announced his retirement from Tests on May 12, 2025, by sharing a post on social media ahead of the upcoming five-Test match series against England. Kohli's childhood coach Rajkumar Sharma, who played a pivotal role in shaping the cricketer's early years, believes that the batting great set an example by announcing retirement at the right time.
In an exclusive conversation with Sports Tak, Rajkumar Sharma said that he appreciates Kohli's decision to announce retirement because this retirement will be remembered for a very long time.
"This retirement will be remembered for a very long time because when the whole country wants you to play and you are taking retirement. Kohli also set an example because you don't see these retirements often in Indian Cricket; it's often seen that senior players are being removed. But Virat has an example that this is the time or for whatever reason, he has thought. I appreciate his decision and feel proud of his contribution to Indian cricket. The passion he has for the country is unparalleled," Rajkumar Sharma told Sports Tak.
Kohli has played 123 Test matches, where he scored 9,230 runs at an average of 46.85, with 30 centuries and 31 fifties in 210 innings and the best score of 254*. He ended his Test career as the fourth-highest run-getter in the longest format of the game behind Sachin Tendulkar (15,921 runs), Rahul Dravid (13,265 runs) and Sunil Gavaskar (10,122 runs). Test legend Kohli also holds the record for most Test runs as an Indian captain with 5,864 runs in 68 matches (113 innings) at an excellent average of 54.80, including 20 centuries and 18 fifties.
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Kohli played his debut Test against the West Indies in 2011, where he had a forgettable outing with just 76 runs in five innings. He marked his presence in Test cricket with a maiden century against Australia at Adelaide in 2012, when he made 116 in 213 balls. Kohli's last Test outing came in Australia during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25, where he managed to score just 190 runs in five Test matches, including an unbeaten century in the first clash in Perth.