The world of cricket was rocked recently when India’s legendary batsman, Virat Kohli, announced that he will no longer play for the Test team. The 36-year-old announced immediate retirement, which means that fans won’t see his name in the starting eleven when India face England next month in a five-Test series.
His decision to step aside will also rock the betting markets ahead of the much-anticipated series. Kohli was so often a firm favourite in markets like ‘Top Batsman’ and ‘Man of the Match’, but bettors now will have to size up different options.
Moments like these often bring shifts in how teams play across any sport, and picking a clear favourite isn’t always straightforward. This is where reading free betting tips from experts can be an advantage, whether you’re betting on cricket, football, tennis or something else. Such insights help people keep up with both the seismic and small details surrounding sports fixtures that can influence wagering decisions. And while you can no longer back Virat Kohli, it’s worth taking a closer look at his career.
Kohli Walks Away
After 123 Test matches, Virat Kohli is done wearing the whites for India. He walks away with 9,230 runs tallied from 123 Test appearances. The decision firmly solidifies that India’s Test team is entering a new era after captain Rohit Sharma also announced his Test retirement just the week before.
Kohli revealed his news via a social media post, saying, “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…I’ll always look back at my Test career with a smile.”
King Kohli’s Career
Kohli made his Test debut in 2011 against the West Indies, before scoring his first Test century later the same year against Australia in Adelaide. Kohli stood out at the crease, thanks to his brilliant controlled aggression and unwavering self-belief.
Kohli’s announcement means that his 14-year Test career ended against Australia in Sydney in January 2025. In what would prove to be his final Test match, Kohli’s performance with the bat, scoring 17 and 6, highlighted a continuation of recent struggles with form.
During 2024 Kohli scored just one century in ten Tests and at one stage, went six consecutive matches where he failed to reach double figures in the first innings. It was far from the glory days of the likes of his 254 not out against South Africa in 2019 and his 186 scored against Australia in 2023.
A Legendary Leader
Even though his batting output at the top level was on the slide, Kohli still commanded respect wherever he went, and his career record speaks for itself. After being handed the captaincy, he helped India to a fantastic record of 40 wins from 68 Tests. On the metric of wins alone, Kohli stands alone as India’s greatest captain.
Only three players hold a better captaincy record of wins than Kohli – South Africa’s Graeme Smith (53 wins), Australia’s Ricky Ponting (48 wins), and Australia’s Steve Waugh (41 wins).
Even though the centuries dried up for him, Kohli walked away from the Test format having scored a record 20 tons while holding the captaincy. In total, he posted 30 career Test centuries, standing fourth on the all-time list of Indian players.
But another area where Kohli stands alone is in his seven Test double hundreds, the most by an Indian player.
Virat Kohli’s India Test stats
Matches: 123
Runs: 9230
Hundreds: 30
Fifties: 31
Average: 46.85
Highest score: 254 n/o (vs South Africa, 2019)
Not Gone Completely
Kohli walks away from the sport entirely, although he retired from international T20 cricket last year too, after helping his country win the T20 World Cup. He is expected to continue in One Day Internationals, and he was a key part of India’s Champions Trophy success earlier this year. Kohli has amassed a record-breaking 51 centuries in ODIs.
India’s Greatest Showman
Kohli’s influence on the Indian Test scene has been immense. He was a passionate, calculated entertainer out of the field and highly influential off it as well. Kohli helped lift India into the position of being the greatest Test nation on the planet and he is arguably the King of Indian cricket.
Is the timing surprising? Yes and no, as the series in England will be the start of the 2025-2027 World Test Championship season. But both his and Sharma’s retirement means that India’s Test team will look a little unfamiliar for a while, and Kohli’s presence will leave a gaping hole for someone to try and fill.
