Kohli calls it a day on his Test career

VIRAT Kohli, the former India captain and one of the most celebrated cricketers ever, has announced his retirement from Tests, saying: “I’ve given it everything I had.”

- BY PHIL CASEY, PA

The 36-year-old amassed 9,230 runs in 123 Tests at an average of 46.85, putting him 19th in the all-time list for run-scorers and behind only Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and Sunil Gavaskar among his fellow Indians.

However, Kohli’s aura had been dimming in recent years with just one hundred in his last 23 innings and three in his most recent 39 Tests, with his average dipping to a modest 30.72 since the start of 2020.

While still expected to be India’s middle-order linchpin in a five-Test series against England that begins on June 20, Kohli has called a halt to a career in the longest format that began in June 2011.