India great Kohli retires from Test cricket
Legendary India batter Virat Kohli has announced his immediate retirement from Test cricket.
His decision comes before this summer's five-Test tour of England, which starts on 20 June, and follows captain Rohit Sharma's retirement on Wednesday.
Kohli, 36, has played 123 Tests for India and scored 9,230 runs at an average of 46.85.
"It's been 14 years since I first wore the baggy blue in Test cricket," Kohli posted on social media.
"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."
Kohli retired from T20 internationals in 2024, after India's World Cup victory, but is expected to continue playing one-day internationals.
After making his Test debut against West Indies in 2011, Kohli went on to captain India in 68 of his Tests, with his 40 wins in charge making him the country's most successful leader in the format.
"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," he added.
"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.
"I'm walking away with a heart full of gratitude - for the game, for the people I shared the field with, and for every single person who made me feel seen along the way. I'll always look back at my Test career with a smile."
Kohli has long been regarded as one of the four batting greats of his era, alongside England's Joe Root, Australia's Steve Smith and New Zealand's Kane Williamson, and has scored 30 Test centuries.
But his most recent Test ton, 100 not out in the first Test against Australia in November, was his first in 15 innings across 16 months.
Only three tons have come in 39 Tests since January 2020. He averages 30.72 in that time.
More to follow.
Rohit Sharma: Indian cricket star who made batting look like art
'Mood of the nation will decide IPL restart'
10 batters retired out - UAE cleverly beat the rain
Get cricket news sent straight to your phone
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Washington Post
25 minutes ago
- Washington Post
Wolves sign attacking midfielder Fer Lopez from Celta Vigo on 5-year contract
WOLVERHAMPTON, England — Wolverhampton has signed attacking midfielder Fer Lopez from Spanish La Liga side Celta Vigo on a five-year contract, the Premier League club said on Friday. The 21-year-old Spaniard is the first summer signing for Wolves and follows forward Jorgen Strand Larsen, who also joined the English team from Celta last year.
Yahoo
27 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Your Guardian Sport weekend: England v India, Club World Cup, tennis and NBA
Saturday 11am (all times BST) England v India live Cricket Day two of the first Test gets under way with Rob Smyth and James Wallace your over-by-over-hosts. India are seeking a first series win in England since 2007, having been held to a 2-2 draw last time out, a garland their new red-ball skipper, Shubman Gill, ranks higher than going all the way in the Indian Premier League. 'You don't get many opportunities as a captain to be able to come to England and you get to have a crack at the IPL every year,' says one of the IPL's poster boys and title winner with Gujarat Giants in 2022. 'In my opinion winning a Test series in England, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa is bigger.' Ali Martin, Andy Bull and Simon Burnton are our reporting team at Headingley. Advertisement 11am Royal Ascot live Racing 'It's the biggest five days in our sport – our shop window,' says leading jockey William Buick of the glittering five days of Royal Ascot. The Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes (3.40pm) is the highlight of the sun-baked meeting's final day. Kevin Ryan's Inisherin was a brilliant winner of the Commonwealth Cup over the course and distance 12 months ago while French raider Lazzat won his first six starts for Jerome Reynier and having bolted up back over six furlongs at Chantilly has been snapped up by the powerful Wathnan Racing operation. One to watch is Aidan O'Brien's Australian recruit Storm Boy. Tony Paley keeps the updates flowing with Greg Wood our reporter in top hat and tails at the Berkshire course. Advertisement 2pm Queen's men's semi-finals Tennis Under a broiling sun in west London, conditions have been particularly gruelling as some of the world's leading players gear up for Wimbledon. Top seed and 2023 winner Carlos Alcaraz endured three hours and 23 energy-sapping minutes in beating compatriot Jaume Munar on Thursday. The match may have been two hours shorter than his five-set French Open final win over Jannik Sinner earlier this month but the five-time grand slam champion suffered as temperatures soared to 32C. After a 15th straight win, the longest winning run of his career so far, a near-exhausted Alcaraz admitted: 'It was a really tough battle.' Tumaini Carayol has all the action covered. Advertisement 3.15pm England XV v France XV Rugby union An unfamiliar England face France for Saturday's non-cap international. There are five uncapped names in Steve Borthwick's makeshift squad, with three set to start as call-ups to Andy Farrell's British & Irish Lions have have given the head coach the chance to experiment. The late addition of Jack van Poortvliet to the Lions party means there will be 14 players unavailable when England run out for the final time before the summer tour to Argentina and the United States. Michael Aylwin reports from Twickenham. 8pm Spain v England, U-21s Euros live Football Advertisement The European Under-21 Championship 2023 winners face a rematch with Spain, who they defeated to lift the trophy two years ago. But Lee Carsley's side approach the quarter-final in patchy form having followed up last Sunday's goalless draw with Slovenia with a disappointing 2-1 loss against Germany to round off the group stage. Slovenia's defeat to the Czech Republic in the other match in the group was enough to secure Carsley's side passage to the last-eight tie in Trnava, Slovakia. Will Unwin keeps the updates flowing while Ed Aarons reports. 8pm Jonathan Wilson Inside football Our columnist considers the cult of personality at the revamped Club World Cup – how the individual walk-outs at the start of matches offer further proof, if any were needed, that Fifa is failing to understand that football remains a team sport – just ask Paris Saint-Germain, who unlocked European success by ditching their superstars. Sunday 11am Advertisement England v India live Cricket Rob Smyth and Taha Hashim take up the over-by-over baton on day three at Headingley. Win against India in the coming weeks, then reclaim the Ashes in Australia and Ben Stokes would go down as one of his country's greatest skippers, but he is not ready to think in those terms. 'There's always a different buzz coming up against India and Australia in particular, purely because of how big those series are,' he says. 'Away from the dressing room, we know what these series mean compared to other ones. But defining a career as England captain isn't something that I really think about. If that's what I'm really bothered about, it's just completely and utterly selfish and that ain't me.' 11am Advertisement County Championship live Cricket Tanya Aldred helms our rolling blog and will no doubt be keeping a weather eye on Jofra Archer's exploits for Sussex against Durham. England's paceman has been beset by a litany of injury problems and played the last of his 13 Tests in February 2021. It is hoped he will make his first-class return, part of a plan that could lead to him being restored to Ben Stokes' squad at some point during a five-match series against India. There has been an understandable sense of caution about Archer's latest rehabilitation, which was further delayed by a broken thumb, but the bowler himself has made his own intentions clear – at one stage floating a hurried return in last month's one-off game against Zimbabwe. 1am Monday Advertisement Game 7 title-decider live NBA finals The Indiana Pacers stormed to a 108-91 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Thursday to level the NBA finals at three games apiece and set up a decisive Game 7 in Oklahoma City in the early hours on Monday. David Lengel will be across all of the action with his live blog on the biggest night in the basketball season. 2am Monday Manchester City v Al Ain live Club World Cup In the small hours, our live coverage of the tournament continues at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta as the holders face Al Ain. City's new signing Tijjani Reijnders will be hoping to build on his impressive debut in the comfortable 2-0 win over Wydad Casablanca in Philadelphia on Wednesday. The Dutchman joined City from Milan last week in a deal worth an initial £46.5m as part of Pep Guardiola's rebuild in response to their disappointing 2024-25 season. Alexander Abnos hosts our minute-by-minute coverage.
Associated Press
an hour ago
- Associated Press
Wolves sign attacking midfielder Fer Lopez from Celta Vigo on 5-year contract
WOLVERHAMPTON, England (AP) — Wolverhampton has signed attacking midfielder Fer Lopez from Spanish La Liga side Celta Vigo on a five-year contract, the Premier League club said on Friday. The 21-year-old Spaniard is the first summer signing for Wolves and follows forward Jorgen Strand Larsen, who also joined the English team from Celta last year. The transfer fee is reportedly worth 19.5 million pounds ($26 million). Lopez made 20 appearances for Celta after making his senior debut in October, scoring four goals and helping the club to finish seventh in La Liga. It is a return to England for the product of the Celta academy, who spent four months at a school in Stowmarket in Suffolk at age 15. 'It's an amazing opportunity for my career to play in the Premier League, and I'm very happy,' Lopez said. 'The club told me, and (manager) Vitor (Pereira) told me, that they thought I was a good fit in the squad. ' ___ AP soccer:
