After a 14-year illustrious red-ball career, Indian batting superstar Virat Kohli announced his retirement from Test cricket. In 123 Test matches, the 36-year-old amassed 9,230 runs at an average of 46.85, including seven double hundreds and 30 hundreds.
The squad achieved 40 victories under Kohli’s leadership, the most by an Indian captain and the fourth-highest in Test history. Kohli captained the country in 68 Test matches. He made his debut against the West Indies in 2011, and in early 2012, he made a splash in Adelaide with a remarkable century.
The Delhi-born batsman led India to historic series victories in Australia and England starting in 2014 and was a reliable member of the Test team. After Rohit Sharma and Ravi Ashwin just left the game’s longest format, he announced his retirement. Ahead of the forthcoming England tour, Kohli had already notified the BCCI of his choice. On May 12, 2025, he shared the news on social media.
Virat Kohli’s five best Test innings of all time
1. 100 not out vs Australia, Perth 2024
In the first game of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024–25 in Perth, Virat Kohli delivered a spectacular century in his farewell Test series for India. Kohli recorded his 30th Test century and his final in the longest format with an undefeated 100* from 143 balls on a challenging pitch against the Australian attack. The veteran smashed eight fours and two sixes in a spectacular comeback after a rare mishap in the first inning.
In addition to breaking Sachin Tendulkar’s record, this knock—his seventh Test century on Australian soil—tied him with Wally Hammond for the second-most hundreds in Tests by a visiting batter in Australia. Following Yashasvi Jaiswal’s 161, Kohli’s knock assisted India in reaching 487/6 before declaring, giving Australia a target of 534. The visiting team eventually won by a commanding 295 runs.
2. 149 against England at Edgbaston, 2018
After a disastrous 2014 England tour, Virat Kohli had a point to make on August 2, 2018, in Edgbaston. Kohli took his time to collect a lot of runs after entering the game with the score at 54/2. James Anderson, the top pacer, put him to the test with forty-three balls of swing and came close to dismissing him twenty-one times, but the great batsman managed to maintain his poise and concentration thanks to a dropped catch.
By himself, Kohli amassed a good score for India with a 149-run effort. He placed pressure on the English bowlers with one six and twenty-two boundaries. India lost by 31 runs, nevertheless. This was significant since it was his first Test century in England and it helped him climb to the top of the world’s Test batter rankings.
3. 254 not out vs South Africa at Pune – 2019
Against South Africa in Pune during the second Test of the 2019 series, Virat Kohli achieved his greatest Test score of an undefeated 254*. After the openers got off to a fast start, Kohli anchored the innings and remained at the crease for almost eight hours, finishing at 136/2.
Throughout his innings, Kohli maintained his composure in the face of a bowling assault that included Vernon Philander, Kagiso Rabada, and debutant Anrich Nortje. He hit two sixes and 33 boundaries in his 254* off 336 balls. He also achieved his sixth double century and surpassed the 7,000-run milestone in Test cricket during the innings. India won by an innings and 137 runs after declaring at 601/5 and dismissing South Africa twice.
4. 153 vs South Africa, Centurion (2018)
One of the best knocks of Virat Kohli’s red-ball career came at Centurion during the second Test of the 2018 series against South Africa. With a spectacular 153, his second Test century on South African soil, Virat Kohli stood tall against a formidable bowling assault on a bouncy pitch.
The right-handed batter entered the game early in the tenth over and watched as wickets fell all around him, but he persevered in the face of adversity and finished his innings with 15 boundaries. Notably, Kohli hit almost half of India’s 307 in response to South Africa’s 335, and no other Indian batsman reached 50. Even though the visiting team lost the game by 135 runs in the end, Kohli’s knock was highly praised. Additionally, he became just the second Indian skipper to achieve a Test century in South Africa, following Sachin Tendulkar.
5. 115 and 141 in the Adelaide Test vs Australia, 2014
In 2014, Virat Kohli took over as Test captain in Adelaide after MS Dhoni was injured. In addition to keeping India in the game, his dazzling twin hundreds (115 and 141) demonstrated his unmatched genius. India overcame early difficulties and reached 444 in response to Australia’s 517 in the first innings thanks to Kohli’s 115. However, the knock of 141 in the second inning attracted the most attention.
The Delhi-born batsman formed an important 185-run partnership with Murali Vijay while chasing 364 on a challenging pitch. Vijay came within a whisker of a century, but Virat Kohli persisted, facing Mitchell Johnson and Nathan Lyon. Despite India’s final 48-run defeat, many acknowledged Virat Kohli significance as a top Test batsman. The veteran was the second-highest run scorer of the four-match series, scoring 692 runs in eight innings.
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