On 12 May 2025, Virat Kohli retired from Test cricket after 123 matches, marking the end of an era. He was India’s most successful Test captain with 40 wins. His departure has left a big void in Indian cricket.
12th May 2025, this was the date which ended an era in Indian cricket. The cricket world was shocked the day when the king of batting, Virat Kohli said goodbye to Test cricket. This is the same format which he not only played but also lived for almost one and a half decade.
Kohli retired from T20I after leading India to win the T20 World Cup in 2024. Since then there was speculation about his Test career. After the defeat against Australia in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, he suddenly announced his retirement. The announcement came just a month before India’s tour of England, which was scheduled to take place in June.
Virat Kohli made a simple and emotional post on his official Instagram handle. In this, he recalled his 14-year Test career and thanked the fans and teammates who stood by him during the ups and downs in this journey of 123 matches.
The star Indian batsman’s retirement from red-ball cricket was not just a big shock for the fans and the cricket world, but it was the end of an era that gave a new identity to modern Indian Test cricket. Kohli brought back the enthusiasm, passion and global attention to Test cricket that the format had been looking for for a long time.
What kind of Test legacy does Kohli leave behind?
Virat Kohli’s Test career was filled with unmatched passion and determination to win, especially on foreign soil. During the Test series against South Africa in 2024, the legendary batsman described himself as a ‘traditionalist’ who truly believed that Test cricket was the true test of a player’s character and skills.
Kohli’s captaincy remains a topic of discussion even after his Test retirement. Under his leadership, Team India became the world-beating team in the longest format of the game. The captain-coach duo of Kohli and Ravi Shastri created a dangerous pace attack that could dominate any batting lineup in the world.
Team India adopted ‘fast bowling culture’ and stopped relying only on spinners. An army of world class fast bowlers like Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah, Ishant Sharma, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Mohammed Siraj was created. These bowlers gave Team India the strength to take 20 consecutive wickets in foreign tours, especially in SENA countries.
Scroll to load tweet…
Apart from the change in tactics, Kohli’s emphasis on elite fitness standards became the foundation of India’s Test dominance. The ‘Yo-Yo Test’ became the benchmark for selection and a symbol of the team’s new athletic identity. With this fitness standard, Kohli transformed the team into a group of world-class athletes who were capable of maintaining high intensity for five grueling days.
As a captain, Virat Kohli led Team India to 40 wins in 68 Test matches. His win percentage was 58.82%, making him the most successful Indian Test captain and the fourth most successful captain overall in the history of the game.
‘Virat Kohli taught me to love Test cricket’
On the completion of one year of Virat Kohli’s retirement from his illustrious Test career, there has been a flood of emotions and memories on social media, especially on X (earlier Twitter). Fans and cricket lovers are showering this platform with tributes, praises and heartbroken messages on his decision.
On his X handles, fans and cricket experts praised Kohli as a revolutionary who rekindled their love for Test cricket. People praised his unmatched passion, fitness and leadership and lamented his absence in the white jersey even after a year of retirement.
Scroll to load tweet…
Scroll to load tweet…
Scroll to load tweet…
Scroll to load tweet…
Scroll to load tweet…
Scroll to load tweet…
Scroll to load tweet…
Scroll to load tweet…
Scroll to load tweet…
Scroll to load tweet…
Scroll to load tweet…
Virat Kohli retired from Test cricket after scoring 9230 runs in 123 matches at an average of 46.85. He is the fourth highest run scorer for Team India in this format. He has 7 double centuries, 23 centuries and 31 half-centuries to his name.
Kohli became the first Indian batsman not to complete 10,000 Test runs after crossing the 9000 run mark. He remained 770 runs away from joining the elite club of the trio of Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and Sunil Gavaskar.
The era of Indian test cricket after Kohli
After Virat Kohli’s retirement from Test cricket, Team India entered a period of major change. The team is struggling to fill the emotional and tactical void left by its most influential leader. Kohli was India’s most reliable batsman at No. 4 in Tests, scoring over 7500 runs at an impressive average of 50.09 and 26 centuries.
With Kohli’s Test retirement, Shubman Gill took over the number 4 batting position. He is being seen as a potential successor who can take up the heavy responsibility of the middle order. Gill successfully established himself in his new batting position during the England Test tour, where he scored 754 runs in 10 innings at an average of 75.40, including 4 centuries.
It is expected that Shubman Gill will continue to bat at number 4 in the upcoming Test series against Sri Lanka, New Zealand and Australia. All eyes will be on how he carries this momentum forward into the 2026-27 domestic season and beyond.
Although Virat Kohli stepped down from the Test captaincy in 2022, his influence remained the guiding force behind the team’s aggressive approach and ‘never give up’ spirit till his last day in the white jersey. Following his Test retirement, Team India is missing his dynamic presence on the field and the psychological edge he provided against opposition teams.
It has been a year since Virat Kohli was away from Test cricket. Team India is adjusting to life without its most influential batsman, and is trying to recreate the aggressive, high-intensity ethos that he instilled in the team, while new leaders like Shubman Gill are trying to fill the void in India’s middle order.