NEW DELHI: Virat Kohli’s wife and acclaimed actress Anushka Sharma shared a deeply emotional message on social media following Kohli’s announcement of retirement from Test cricket on Monday. Kohli brought the curtains down on an illustrious 14-year-long red-ball career, having featured in 123 Tests since making his debut against West Indies in 2011. Following Sachin Tendulkar’s retirement in 2013, Kohli emerged as India’s batting mainstay in the longest format.“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,” Anushka wrote on Instagram, sharing a heartfelt photo with her husband.“After every Test series, you came back a little wiser, a little humbler — and watching you evolve through it all has been a privilege,” she added.“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,” she wrote in her tribute.
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Kohli’s decision to retire came just days after Rohit Sharma also stepped away from Test cricket, leaving India without two of its most senior batters ahead of the upcoming tour of England. The five-Test series begins on June 20, and India will now need to appoint a new captain and rework its batting core.Reflecting on his journey, Kohli shared his own thoughts in an Instagram post. “As I step away from this format, it’s not easy — but it feels right,” he wrote. “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.”
Over his career, the 36-year-old scored 9,230 runs, including 30 centuries and 31 fifties, at an average of 46.85. As captain, he led India in 68 Tests, securing 40 wins — the most by any Indian Test skipper.Kohli often spoke about his love for the format and the mental and emotional challenges it presented. He once described his fondness for the grind of Test cricket, saying it included “the quiet grind, the long days, the small moments that no one sees but that stay with you forever.”“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,” he wrote in his farewell message. “I will always look back at my Test career with a smile. #269, signing off.”
In terms of records, Kohli ended his career as India’s fourth-highest run-scorer in Tests behind Sachin Tendulkar (15,921), Rahul Dravid (13,265), and Sunil Gavaskar (10,122). He holds the record for the most double hundreds by an Indian in Tests — seven — one more than Tendulkar.Kohli’s legacy as captain is equally significant. His 40 Test wins surpass the tallies of MS Dhoni (27 from 60 Tests) and Sourav Ganguly (21 from 49 Tests). Globally, he ranks fourth among captains with the most Test wins, behind Graeme Smith (53), Ricky Ponting (48), and Steve Waugh (41).Under Kohli’s leadership, India rose to the No. 1 ranking in Test cricket after he succeeded MS Dhoni in 2014-15. The team held on to that position for nearly five years. His crowning achievement came in 2018 when he led India to a historic first-ever Test series win on Australian soil.
