Virat Kohli’s decision to step away from Test cricket last year came as a surprise to many, particularly given the widespread belief that he still had more to contribute in the longest format.
The announcement arrived in the middle of IPL 2025, at a time when scrutiny around his red-ball form had intensified. A challenging tour of Australia had once again highlighted his vulnerability outside the off-stump, a pattern that drew consistent criticism. In an effort to regain form and confidence, Kohli even returned to domestic cricket, featuring in the Ranji Trophy, but the expected turnaround did not materialise.
With pressure mounting and little respite from constant attention, he eventually decided to bring the curtain down on his Test career, ending a significant chapter in Indian cricket. Over the course of 123 Tests, Kohli amassed 9,230 runs at an average of 46.85, including 30 centuries and 31 half-centuries, with a highest score of 254*. Since making his debut in 2011, he combined intensity with consistency, particularly during his tenure as captain, leading India to several landmark victories and establishing himself as one of the country’s most successful Test leaders.
Former teammate Ravichandran Ashwin, who shared the dressing room with Kohli for years, revealed that he had personally expressed his belief that the batter still had more to offer in Test cricket. “I’ve directly told him that he had cricket left him in Test cricket. There was something left in Test cricket, but it’s okay, honestly. There is a problem in India about the perception,”
Ashwin
said on his YouTube channel. Reflecting further on the decision, Ashwin underlined the values that shaped Kohli’s career, particularly his commitment to putting the team above everything else, while acknowledging how difficult such a call would have been. “He has retired, I mean, even look at it from Virat’s value and Virat’s principle, he always kept team first. Even at press conferences, he always said that the team is very important, that we have got to win. He has said all this. And for him to say okay, I’ve taken a retirement, I want to come back, it’s not an easy decision for him to make, also, but I do certainly believe he had some cricket left,” he added.
