Just days after Rohit Sharma announced his retirement from Test cricket, Virat Kohli too has stepped away from the format, deciding not to be part of the upcoming England tour.
Many are wondering why he made this choice. Was it because of the talk around young Shubman Gill becoming the new leader at just 25? Did Kohli sense that it was time to step aside, or had he simply run out of the drive and focus that once made him unstoppable?
Kohli shared his decision with the world through a heartfelt social media post:
“The quiet grind, the long days, the small moments that no one sees but that stay with you forever. As I step away from this format, it’s not easy — but it feels right. I’ve given it everything I had, and it’s given me back so much more than I could’ve hoped for.”
England’s five-match Test series can be tough for any player, especially for someone who has recently struggled with form. In his last Test series in Australia, Kohli was dismissed seven times while poking at balls outside off-stump — a sign that his confidence and technique weren’t what they used to be.
But this decision shouldn’t be seen as a weakness or failure. Kohli’s legacy is already secured. He gave everything to the game and inspired millions. His retirement from Tests is simply a reminder that even the greatest athletes face the reality of aging.
At 36, Kohli still looks incredibly fit — his six-pack abs and lightning speed between the wickets haven’t faded. But even the most driven athletes can feel tired. Even kings step down eventually.
Kohli’s story is far from ordinary. When he was just 18 and playing his first Ranji Trophy season, his father passed away. Despite the tragedy, Kohli turned up to play the next morning, broke down in the dressing room, then wiped his tears and went out to save the match.
After the game, he went home and lit his father’s funeral pyre. He told his brother that night, “I’m going to play this game at the highest level — nothing will distract me.”
That wasn’t just a young man’s promise — it was a life goal, and he kept it for two decades. From his teenage days, Kohli was known for his confidence. During the Under-19 World Cup, he walked around the hotel like he owned the place.
Once, when an English player gave him a dirty look, Kohli stared him down and boldly asked, “Why are you staring?” The other boy backed off. “You have to show them who’s boss,” Kohli later said.
After leading India to the U-19 World Cup win, Kohli joined the senior team but soon lost his way. He started partying and eating poorly. Realizing he was straying from his path, he made big changes.
He fixed his diet and lifestyle. In one moment of intense hunger, he nearly considered eating a bedsheet — but he stayed strong. That kind of discipline would define his career.
In 2014, on a disastrous tour of England, Kohli thought he’d lost his batting skills. He was depressed and couldn’t sleep. But he reached out to cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar for advice and fought his way back.
Once he trusted his technique again, the runs started flowing, and he became one of the greatest players the world had ever seen.
But fame and success brought new challenges. Around 2022, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Kohli started questioning who he was. “Who am I as a person?” he wondered.
He admitted to faking his intense energy on the field to meet people’s expectations. Eventually, he took a much-needed break from cricket — the first of his career.
Even after returning, things were tough. Between 2022 and 2025, he scored only four Test centuries, none of which stood out.
He trained hard and sought spiritual advice, hoping to get back to his best. But maybe he didn’t realize that he had already done enough.
If there was anyone who could bounce back in England, it was Kohli. But this time, he chose peace over pressure. In a podcast during his brilliant IPL run, he reflected on his career:
“You start off just wanting to hit the ball. Then you become someone and have to handle expectations. But in the end, you just want to go back to hitting the ball.”
He seemed to have rediscovered that original joy — the simple love of batting — free from the noise around him. Going to England might have meant going back into the pressure cooker. Instead, Kohli chose to step back on his terms.
Back in 2011, after India’s World Cup win, Kohli had carried Sachin Tendulkar on his shoulders and said, “He carried the burden of the nation for 21 years. It was time we carried him.”
In his own way, Kohli too carried that burden for over a decade. Now it’s time for the next generation to carry him — or at least his legacy.
Virat Kohli may have retired from Test cricket, but his story will inspire generations to come.
