Virat Kohli announced his retirement from Test cricket on Monday after a remarkable 14-year career spanning 123 Tests, prompting an emotional response from his wife, actress Anushka Sharma, on social media. The announcement follows closely after Rohit Sharma’s retirement, leaving India without two senior batters ahead of their England tour beginning June 20.Anushka Sharma shared her feelings two days after Kohli’s retirement from Test cricket.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!“That’s why only those with a story to tell succeed in Test cricket. A story so long and deep that it doesn’t care for the pitch conditions – grass, dry, home, or away.” she wrote in an Instagram post.Earlier, on Monday, she had posted on social media: “They’ll talk about the records and the milestones – but I’ll remember the tears you never showed, the battles no one saw, and the unwavering love you gave this format of the game. I know how much all this took from you. After every Test series, you came back a little wiser, a little humbler – and watching you evolve through it all has been a privilege. Somehow, I always imagined you’d retire international cricket in whites – But you’ve always followed your heart, and so I just want to say my love, you’ve earned every bit of this goodbye.”The couple visited Vrindavan on Tuesday before making their way back home to Mumbai.Kohli had announced his retirement on Instagram. “As I step away from this format, it’s not easy – but it feels right. 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.”The 36-year-old cricketer concluded his Test career with impressive statistics, accumulating 9,230 runs with 30 centuries and 31 fifties at an average of 46.85.His captaincy record stands at 40 wins from 68 Tests, the highest for any Indian Test captain.“I am 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 will always look back at my Test career with a smile. #269, signing off.”
Kohli finished as India’s fourth-highest run-scorer in Tests, following Sachin Tendulkar (15,921), Rahul Dravid (13,265), and Sunil Gavaskar (10,122).He holds the record for most double centuries by an Indian in Tests with seven, surpassing Tendulkar’s six.As captain, Kohli’s 40 Test victories place him fourth globally, behind Graeme Smith (53), Ricky Ponting (48), and Steve Waugh (41), and ahead of Indian predecessors MS Dhoni (27) and Sourav Ganguly (21).
After taking over from MS Dhoni in 2014-15, Kohli led India to the No. 1 Test ranking, maintaining the position for nearly five years.His captaincy reached its pinnacle in 2018 when he guided India to their first-ever Test series victory in Australia.The team now faces the challenge of appointing a new captain and restructuring its batting lineup before the upcoming five-Test series in England.
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