King Kohli announces retirement after 14-year Test career

Virat Kohli has announced his retirement from Test cricket, bringing the curtain down on a career spanning 14 years in which he featured in 123 Tests - 68 of them as captain - and amassed 9230 runs at an average of 46.85.

- TRIDIB BAPARNASH

"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," Kohli announced on social media.

"There's 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," he concluded in the statement issued on Monday.

As reported by The Statesman on Saturday, the 36-year-old had already expressed his desire to retire from Test cricket to the BCCI, and has been having such discussions with the top brass for quite some time.