Indian ace cricketer Virat Kohli has announced his retirement from Test cricket after 14 years of illustrious career. He posted the news of his retirement on his Instagram at 11.43 am.

“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,” his post read.

“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,” he said in the post.

In what is probably a heartbreaking moment for the millions of Indians and cricket fans across the globe, Kohli said, “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.”

In less than 10 minutes of his posting on Instagram, 1.6 million likes and 1 lakh comments have been reported. And this show that King Kohli is King on and off the field.

Kohli was 770 runs away from becoming only the eighth batter in history to score 10,000 runs in both Tests and ODIs. Since his debut in Test cricket in 2011, Kohli has played 123 Tests, scoring 9,230 runs at an average of 46.85.

Kohli’s decision to retire came after a lot of speculation, especially following reports of a fallout with the BCCI after they refused to entertain his request for the captaincy. India are currently without a Test captain since Rohit Sharma announced his retirement.

Kohli's decision to retire came ahead of India's five-Test series in England, starting June 20. The former batter's form had not been impressive either in the last five years, aggregating 1,990 runs in 37 games with three hundreds.

Kohli's departure leaves India's largely inexperienced middle order in the hands of KL Rahul, with Shubman Gill and Yashasvi Jaiswal at the top, and Rishabh Pant expected to anchor the lower order in challenging English conditions.

After retiring from Test cricket, the 36-year-old will now focus on ODIs and T20s, where he remains a prolific contributor to his teams - be it the Indian team or his IPL franchise, Royal Challengers Bengaluru.

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