Indian cricket is seeing a major change as former skipper Virat Kohli has formally announced his retirement from Test cricket. The cricket legend confirmed the news through an emotional social media post, looking back at his career in the red-ball format.
He authored, “It’s 14 years since I first wore the baggy blue in Test cricket. Honestly, I never imagined the ride this game would take me on. It’s tested me, shaped me, and taught me things I’ll carry with me for life.”
Kohli’s departure comes shortly after another major development — the unexpected retirement of skipper Rohit Sharma from Test cricket. The back-to-back exits of two of India’s most experienced players have left a significant gap in the team’s batting strength and leadership. According to reports, a senior BCCI official urged Kohli to rethink his decision, but the star batsman appears to be standing firm.
In the meantime, a heartwarming exchange between Kohli and Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been trending on the internet. The incident took place during Team India’s meeting with the PM after their 2024 World Cup victory. Kohli spoke about the struggles he went through in the tournament, commenting, “Thank you very much for calling us all here and this day will always remain in my mind because in this entire tournament, I was not able to make the contribution that I wanted to.”
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#WATCH | During his interaction with PM Modi, Virat Kohli said, “Thank you very much for calling us all here and this day will always remain in my mind because in this entire tournament, I was not able to make the contribution that I wanted to and at one time I also told Rahul… pic.twitter.com/g7kRWr3jBN
— ANI (@ANI) July 5, 2024
He went on, “I also told Rahul bhai at one time that I have not given justice to the team as well as myself until now. So he informed me that whenever the situation arises, I am sure that you will come into form. So this interaction occurred between us and when we went out to play, I informed Rohit, I didn’t have that much belief that I will be able to bat the way I would have wanted to. So when we went out to play, I scored 3 fours in the first 4 balls, so I went and informed him, what type of a game is this, one day it appears that even a single run will not be scored and then another day occurs and everything begins to happen.”
As Kohli bids adieu to the game’s longest version, cricket fans and enthusiasts around the world are saying goodbye to one of India’s greatest Test cricketers — a great whose passion, determination, and consistency redefined contemporary cricket.
