Former India captain Virat Kohli surprised fellow cricketers and fans with in sudden retirement from Tests ahead of the five-Test match series of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy 2025. The modern-day great hung up his boots from the longest format of the game after a dismal outing in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25, where he managed to score just 190 runs in five Test outings.
Kohli announced his Test retirement on May 12, amassing 9230 runs in 123 matches, and his name was etched into the celebrated ‘Fab Four’ batting club alongside Kane Williamson, Joe Root, and Steve Smith, a quartet that set benchmarks for consistency and quality in the longest format.
Kohli's long-time contemporary and rival Williamson praised Kohli for his contribution in the longest format of the game and his ability to bow out on his own terms, despite the dip in form, spoke volumes about his legacy.
“You never really consider it and you do see some of your opponents and mates making some of these decisions and you think ‘gosh, it has been a while’, and you’re not getting younger,” Williamson told Independent.
“It’s a reality at some stage. For someone like Virat, who made that decision to go out on his own terms and do what he’s done for the game, that’s amazing. That’s so special.
“Everyone was caught by surprise because you feel like it will never happen, but it does. I’m more aware of that than most – and that’s great,” the former Kiwi captain stated.
Kohli has already announced retirement from T20Is after the T20 World Cup 2025 win in Barbados, and now the batting great is only available for selection in ODIs, where India, at least for now, doesn't play until October later this year. It was reported by PTI earlier this week that the board will have a conversation with both Virat and Rohit on their international future, keeping in mind the 2027 World Cup in South Africa. His last outing in Indian colours came in February 2025 during the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, where the unbeaten Rohit Sharma-led side defeated New Zealand in the final to seal the title.
Kohli's last cricketing outing came in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025, where his franchise Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) defeated Punjab Kings (PBKS) to win their maiden title on June 3, 2025