12th May, 2025, will remain a date that die-hard cricket fans will never forget as Virat Kohli shocked the sporting fraternity by announcing his retirement from Test cricket with an Instagram post in the early hours of the morning. A year later to the day that shocked Indian cricket, the day continues to linger with sadness among cricket fans on social media.
Kohli ended his career with a remarkable record, as he played 123 games and scored 9320 runs at an average of 46.9 with 30 centuries. This sees him end his career as the Indian player with the fourth most runs as well as centuries in the longest format of the game.
While in isolation, the numbers are decent; Kohli did not cross the 10,000-run mark in the format despite being just 770 runs behind. The milestone remains a benchmark for greatness in the format and something only three Indians have done (Sunil Gavaskar, Sachin Tendulkar, and Rahul Dravid).
While the numbers do not define a player's legacy, it is the ending of his career that does not sit right. For a player of his stature and contributions, the lack of a proper farewell from the format is disappointing. Moreover, his final memories in Test cricket are not pleasant, and the struggles outside the off-stump in Australia will now remain associated with his career till eternity.
In fact, it is even hard to argue against Kohli's timing of quitting the sport being right. Post the COVID-19 lockdown, his average dropped by eight runs, while only three centuries have come since the start of 2020, which was when the team was in a comfortable situation on placid surfaces.
Virat KOhli's Test career was one of three phases |Image courtesy - AI Generated
During his peak years from the tour of Australia in 2014 till before the COVID-19 pandemic, Kohli averaged above 60 in the format. He played some mind-blowing knocks during the away tours of Australia in 2014-15 and England in 2018, which were among the finest displays by an Indian batter away from home.
The year of 2018 was ultimate proof of Kohli's greatness, as ESPNcricinfo called it one of the toughest years to bat in Test cricket history, with the batting average of 26.28 being the lowest in 60 years. However, Kohli stood tall with 1,322 runs at an average of 55.08 with five centuries despite India having three tough tours of South Africa, England, and Australia.
Kohli's contribution to the format was much more than just his batting, and as the game's biggest face, his dedication to Test cricket ensured the longest format not only survived but thrived. In a time where questions were raised over red-ball cricket's future, the Indian cricket superstar became its biggest ambassador.
It was his seven-year-long captaincy tenure that defined his legacy, as during Kohli's time at the helm, there was not a question over Test cricket being not just the national team's but the entire cricketing ecosystem's priority.
Source: India Latest News, Breaking News Today, Top News Headlines | Times Now
