Test Cricket Won’t Be the Same Without Virat Kohli, Says RCB with Broken Heart Emoji

Virat Kohli, former captain and star batsman of the Indian cricket team, announced his retirement from Test cricket on Monday. He represented India in 123 Test matches. Kohli bid farewell to cricket's longest format via an emotional social media post. This decision came as a surprise to many, especially considering that Rohit Sharma also announced his Test retirement the previous week. While Rohit's form was a cause for concern, Kohli was currently in excellent form.

Kohli's Bat Roars in IPL 2025

Playing for Royal Challengers Bangalore in the Indian Premier League 2025, he scored 505 runs in 11 innings at a phenomenal average of 63.13. On the other hand, the Indian team is also scheduled to tour England for a five-Test match series next month. Furthermore, Kohli was on the verge of completing 10,000 runs in this format; he has 9,230 Test runs to his name. Test cricket was Virat Kohli's favourite format, in which he also captained in 68 matches. The period under captain Kohli and head coach Ravi Shastri is considered one of the best periods in the history of Indian Test cricket.

Under Kohli's captaincy, Team India won 40 out of 68 Test matches, including significant overseas victories. Under Kohli's leadership, India defeated Australia on their home soil for the first time, becoming the first Asian team to achieve this feat. Kohli is the fourth most successful Test captain in history. More matches were won by Graeme Smith (53 wins), Ricky Ponting (48 wins), and Steve Waugh (41 wins). Kohli was also considered a modern brand ambassador for Test cricket.

Following Kohli's retirement from Test cricket, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) wrote on 'X', "Thank you Virat Kohli . An era in Test cricket has ended, but your legacy will always remain. Your contribution to Team India will always be appreciated." The International Cricket Council also wrote on 'X', "One of India's Test greats has bid farewell to the longest format." Kohli's IPL team, RCB, also wrote in a post, "We will miss the walk, the shots, the expressions, and the celebrations." RCB added a broken heart emoji, saying, "We will miss all of it."