Virat Kohli announced his retirement from Test cricket on Monday. There were reports circulating that Kohli had written an email to BCCI, citing his desire to retire, however, the board urged him to reconsider his decision.However, on Monday, Kohli finally announced his decision in an emotional post via his Instagram handle. Former India cricketer Harbhajan Singh was quick to react to the major news and he questioned Kohli’s decision. “Why Retired? @imVkohli," Harbhajan tweeted on Monday.
“I would have liked to see #ViratKohli go out of test cricket before a packed stadium. But since that is not to be let us applaud him wherever we are," commentator Harsha Bhogle tweeted. The 36-year-old Kohli brings down the curtains on a prolific red-ball career, spanning 14 years and 123 Tests. The Delhi batter made his Test debut against the West Indies on June 20, 2011, in Kingston.
Kohli had since gone on to become India’s most successful batter in the previous decade between 2010 and 2019. Kohli was the third-highest Test run-getter in the period, piling on 7202 runs at 54.97 average and 27 centuries, the most by any batter in the time. However, the India No. 4’s stocks dwindled drastically post-COVID in 2020, aggregating only 2028 runs in 68 innings with three centuries and nine fifties. Incidentally, Kohli’s 30.72 average is the lowest among all 24 Test batters who have aggregated at least 2000 runs since 2020.
