Virat Kohli has informed the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) of his intention to retire from Test cricket, according to multiple Indian media outlets, including The Indian Express.
The 36-year-old batting great, who has been a cornerstone of India’s Test side for over a decade, is said to have conveyed his decision in recent days. Senior BCCI officials, however, have urged him to reconsider, especially with a major tour of England on the horizon.
“He has made up his mind and has informed the board that he is moving on from Test cricket,” a source told The Indian Express. “The BCCI has urged him to rethink… he is yet to respond.”
The news comes on the heels of fellow senior batter Rohit Sharma’s Test retirement, raising questions about a significant leadership and experience vacuum in India’s red-ball side. Kohli and Rohit had jointly stepped away from T20Is last year after India’s triumph in the ICC T20 World Cup.
Kohli’s Test numbers remain impressive: 123 matches, 9,230 runs, and an average of 46.85. However, his form has waned in recent years. Since 2019, he has scored 1,990 runs from 37 Tests at an average of 32.09, with just three centuries. On India’s recent tour of Australia, he struggled, averaging only 23.75 across five Tests.
Should he proceed with retirement, Kohli would leave a major void in India’s Test middle order, and an era-defining chapter of Indian cricket would draw to a close.
