Virat Kohli Test Retirement Plans Revealed: Reports Says 'Having These Conversations For...'

Indian batting legend Virat Kohli has communicated to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) about his intention to retire from Test cricket, reported ESPNCricinfo on Saturday. This report comes just two days after batter and his long-time teammate Rohit Sharma announced his retirement from whites and just over a month before India kickstarts its ICC World Test Championship 2025-27 campaign against England with a five-match series, starting at Headingley from June 20 onwards. As per ESPNCricinfo, Virat has been having such conversations with the board over the past month or so. If Virat indeed retires, it would mark the end of an illustrious Test career of 14 years, during which he made 9,230 runs in 123 Tests at an average of 46.85, with 30 centuries. He is also India's most successful Test captain ever, having won 40 out of 68 Tests with the armband.

During 2016-2019, Virat enjoyed one of the biggest primes in longest format history, with 4,208 runs to his name in 43 Tests at an average of 66.79, scoring 16 centuries and 10 fifties in 69 innings, making him one of the biggest ambassadors of the format.

However, the decade of the 2020s has not been great for the superstar batter, having made just 2,028 runs in 39 Tests at an underwhelming average of 30.72, with just three centuries and nine fifties to show in 69 innings. His numbers received a boost from a fine 2023, where he made 671 runs in eight Tests at an average of 55.91, with two centuries and two fifties in 12 innings.

He ended last year with just 382 runs in 10 Tests at a shocking average of 22.47, with just one century and fifty in 19 innings. His last Test outing was the Border-Gavaskar Trophy tour to Australia from November-January, where he made