Virat Kohli retires from Test cricket: 'Will look back at my career with a smile'

India's batting talisman Virat Kohli on Monday announced his retirement from Test cricket ending the speculation about his future in the longest format.

His retirement announcement came with just a little over a month to go before the England tour. 

"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," Kohli announced on his Instagram page.

The 36-year-old cricketer turned up in 123 Tests for India, scoring 9230 runs with 30 hundreds at an average of 46.85. Having already retired from T20 Internationals last year, he will only play in ODIs now. 

Expressing gratitude to the game and all his supporters, Virat mentioned that there was something deeply personal about playing in the whites and would always look back at his Test career with a smile. 

"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," he added.

" 𝗧𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗸 𝘆𝗼𝘂, 𝗩𝗶𝗿𝗮𝘁 𝗞𝗼𝗵𝗹𝗶!  An era ends in Test cricket but the legacy will continue FOREVER!," mentioned an X post by BCCI. 

His retirement continues the exodus of Indian bigwigs from the Test arena. Ravichandran Ashwin (in December) and Rohit Sharma (last week) are the others to have called it quits in the format.