Breaking: Virat Kohli announces Test retirement

Indian talismanic batter Virat Kohli has officially announced his retirement from Tests ahead of the England tour. Kohli took to his Instagram handle to announce his final decision. With this, both Kohli and Rohit Sharma will not be a part of the Indian Test team anymore.

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Having made his Test debut in 2011, Kohli smacked 9230 runs from 210 innings at an average of 46.85, amassing 30 centuries and 31 fifty-plus scores. He has the highest individual score of unbeaten 254 in this format.

“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,” Virat Kohli wrote on his official Instagram handle.

“There’s something deeply personal about playing in white. The quiet grind, the long days, the small moments that no one sees but that stay with you forever,” he added.

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“As I step away from this format, it’s not easy — but it feels right. I’ve given it everything I had, and it’s given me back so much more than I could’ve hoped for. I’m walking away with a heart full of gratitude — for the game, for the people I shared the field with, and for every single person who made me feel seen along the way,” he continued.

“I’ll always look back at my Test career with a smile. #269, signing off,” he concluded.

https://www.instagram.com/p/DJiwQm0RbiM/ 

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With this decision, India will not have their batting stalwarts Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli on the England tour, which will be the start of the new World Test Championship cycle. Notably, Rohit Sharma also announced his Test retirement on May 7 and India would be most likely having Shubman Gill as new captain in Tests.

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