In his last Test outing, Kohli scored merely 23 runs across the two innings
The 2024/2025 winter in India was warmer than usual. However, several regions, especially in the north and northeast, witnessed cold waves on a few occasions. However, one in particular was the harshest, felt by Indian cricket enthusiasts – Virat Kohli leaving the Sydney ground in frustration, with the commentator in the background saying, “Well, that could well be the last time we see Virat Kohli on Australian soil in Test match cricket.” In the winter of January earlier this year, King Kohli went cold in Test cricket.
India’s tour of Australia and Kohli
At the end of 2024, India visited Australia for a five-match Test series, which started in India’s favour. The team won the first game by 295 runs, with Kohli hitting a 100 in the second innings.
(Credit- ESPNcricinfo)
However, in the second game, Australia flipped the script, winning by 10 wickets, whereas for Kohli, only 18 runs came off his bat. The third game saw India fight back and secure a draw, but Kohli managed only three runs. In the fourth game, Australia once again found its winning way back, defeating India by 184 runs. And Kohli? He managed 41 runs across two innings.
Despite multiple chances, Kohli could not bring back his consistency even though he had every intent to score runs for his team.
The final game
(Credit- HT)
The fifth game of the series became Kohli’s final Test match in front of the Sydney crowd. In the first innings, Kohli faced 69 balls but managed only 17 runs. The struggle was evident, and at the hands of in-form Boland, Kohli fell short. Kohli’s story in the next innings was no different, as he fell prey to another Boland offside delivery that went past Kohli’s edge into Steve Smith’s safe hands. Kohli left the pitch ab*sing himself and the situation and walked towards the dugout.
Kohli did not retire immediately, but that was the moment many fans and pundits realised that it was the end of the road for their idol.
269 signing off
Five months later, ahead of the India vs. England Test series in June 2025, Kohli announced his retirement on his social media accounts. The Delhi-based batter penned an emotional note that read, “It's been 14 years since I first wore the baggy blue in Test cricket. Honestly, I never imagined the journey this format would take me on. It's tested me, shaped me, and taught me lessons I'll carry for life. There's something deeply personal about playing in whites. The quiet grind, the long days, the small moments that no one sees but that stay with you forever.”
Kohli’s numbers in Test
Kohli holds numerous records in the Test format, and, as far as numbers are concerned, he retired from the game with 9,230 runs in 123 matches, including 30 centuries and 31 half-centuries, at a strike rate of 55.57. He also registered his high score of 254 runs.
Kohli’s retirement was on the cards, but what shocked everybody was the fact that he did not stick around to complete 10,000 runs in the format. Kohli was only 770 runs away from the five-digit milestone, yet he chose to leave.
(Credit- RCB)
For Virat Kohli, the only thing that matters now is to make sure his bat does enough talking till the 2027 World Cup so that he can retire with the ODI trophy and bid goodbye to the game.
