It was the end of an era as Virat Kohli announced his retirement from Test cricket. The speculations of Kohli's retirement were doing the rounds for a while. Reports stated that Kohli had told the BCCI about his decision to retire, and the BCCI has asked him to take time before making any call as they want him on the flight to England. Kohli, however, made up his mind and made the confirmation on Monday.

"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 wrote on Instagram.

BCCI Reacts To Virat Kohli's Retirement

Meanwhile, the BCCI reacted to Virat Kohli's retirement and paid tribute to India's greatest test captain.

Virat Kohli ended his career with 9230 runs in 123 Test matches, including 30 centuries. He was instrumental in shaping the Indian Test cricket with his aggressive leadership and made India a brute force in the format. He led the country in 68 Tests, most by an Indian, losing just 17 (25 per cent) of them. With a win percentage of 58.82 per cent (40 wins, 11 draws), the batter remains India's most successful red-ball captain. Only Steve Waugh (41), Ricky Ponting (48), and Graeme Smith (53) have registered more wins as Test captains.

Kohli's illustrious captaincy record includes series wins in Australia, West Indies and Sri Lanka, and Test wins in England and South Africa. He also won all the 11 Test series he captained at home.

Why Did Virat Kohli Retire?

Kohli wasn't having a great run in Test cricket for a while. In the last five years, he scored just 1990 runs in 37 Tests, including three hundreds. He reportedly was frustrated after a poor series to Australia where he scored averaged around 23 after which he made up his mind to retire from Tests.

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