Virat Kohli retires from Test cricket, leaving behind a trail of blazing records
It wasn’t just a Monday morning—it felt like the end of an era. No buzz in the stadium, no helmet kiss after a century, no clenched fists aimed at the dressing room balcony. Just a quiet Instagram post. That’s how Virat Kohli signed off from Test cricket.
In true Kohli style—intense, heartfelt, and without theatrics—he bid farewell to the red-ball game that saw his transformation from a brash Delhi boy to one of the modern-day giants of the sport. Fourteen years, 123 Tests, 9,230 runs, 30 centuries, and endless memories later, Kohli has pulled the curtain on the format that made him more than a run machine—it made him a symbol of grit, passion, and fire.
But as the whites get folded and tucked away, let’s not just drown in nostalgia. Let’s sprint back to the milestones where Kohli didn’t just arrive—he arrived faster than most.
Here are five of King Kohli’s fastest records in Test cricket, each one a testament to how he didn’t just play the game—he galloped through it.
Kohli loved a challenge, and Australia was his ultimate stage. In 2018, he became the fastest Indian to score 1,000 Test runs on Australian soil, achieving this in just 18 innings. Joining legends like Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid, he didn’t merely reach the milestone—he did it with flair, averaging 59.05, the best among visiting batters in 50 years.
His 692 runs in 2014-15, including 4 centuries, established him as India’s new leader. Australia’s fierce bowling attacks couldn’t tame him; instead, he transformed their bouncy pitches into his playground.
When Kohli notched up 6,000 Test runs in 2018, he left the giants in his dust. Overtaking Sachin Tendulkar (120 innings) and Virender Sehwag (121 innings), he reached the mark in 119 innings, making him the second-fastest Indian behind Sunil Gavaskar.
This feat came during a fiery spell at Southampton, where he also reclaimed the No.1 Test batsman ranking. His hunger for runs was unmatched; each milestone was a testament to his relentless drive.
As a leader, Kohli was a force of nature. In 2019, during India’s first-ever pink-ball Test in Kolkata against Bangladesh, he became the fastest captain to score 5,000 Test runs, hitting the mark in 86 innings—11 fewer than Ricky Ponting’s record.
Leading India to bowl out Bangladesh for 106, Kohli’s bat and captaincy were perfectly in sync. He remains the only Indian captain to achieve this, and his leadership is as bold as his cover drives.
In 2018, Perth witnessed Kohli at his audacious best. Scoring his 25th Test century, he became the second-fastest to reach the milestone, matching Sachin Tendulkar. His 123 against Australia was a masterclass, celebrated with a gesture that screamed, “Let the bat talk.”
Fans roared as he equalled Tendulkar’s record of six centuries in Australia, cementing his status as a global icon. Shane Warne called him “a class apart,” and the cricket world agreed.
Credit: NDTV
By 2021, Kohli had surpassed 7,500 Test runs, achieving this in 154 innings and tying Sunil Gavaskar as the fourth-fastest Indian, behind Sachin Tendulkar.
This milestone occurred during the World Test Championship final against New Zealand, where Kohli’s resilience kept India afloat. His ability to accumulate runs, even in challenging conditions, made him a cornerstone of India’s batting line-up.
Kohli’s Test career wasn’t just about numbers but heart. From redeeming himself in England in 2018 with 593 runs to leading India to their first Test series win in Australia, he carried a nation’s hopes.
His prime from 2016 to 19, with 4,208 runs and 7 double centuries, was a golden era. Even when his form dipped in the 2020s, his 2023 resurgence showed his fighting spirit. As Kohli walks away, his fastest records remind us of a batsman who ran towards greatness, never looking back.
