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Kohli, India's fourth-highest Test run-scorer, announced his decision prior to the England tour, expressing gratitude for his 14-year-long Test journey.
Following Virat Kohli’s decision to retire from test cricket, an old interview in which he reveals his cricketing ambitions has gone viral. He had said that his aim was to score 10,000 runs in the longest format of the game, something he really wanted to achieve. Kohli had scored 9,230 runs in 123 matches with a batting average of 46.9 and was 770 runs away from getting to the dream. His Australian counterpart Steve Smith had recently became the 15th player to enter the 10,000 run club.
In a 2013 interview to Aaj Tak, Kohli said, “I don’t keep track of records at all. There are times I’ve scored a century and only found out afterward that it marked a new milestone — like being the fastest to ten hundreds. Before a match, I’m not thinking about how many innings I have left or how many more centuries I need to set a record. That’s never been my mindset. What truly matters to me is scoring 10,000 runs in Test cricket — that’s a goal I’ve always wanted to achieve.”
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Kohli is India’s fourth highest run-getter after Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and Sunil Gavaskar. His decision to retire came ahead of the BCCI tour of England. According to reports, Kohli had made the decision and informed the BCCI before it was made official. On Monday, Kohli took to Instagram and shared his journey.
“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,” he said.
Kohli continued that there was something deeply personal about playing in whites. “The quiet grind, the long days, the small moments that no one sees but that stay with you forever. 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. I’ll always look back at my Test career with a smile. #269, signing off,” he added.
