After much speculations regarding his future in the longest format, Virat Kohli on Monday announced his retirement from Test cricket with an Instagram post. With the all important England Test series coming up, it deals a mighty blow to the team which will be without both Virat and Rohit Sharma, who also hung up his boots from Test cricket last week.
“I’ll always look back at my Test career with a smile. #269, signing off,” the last lines of Kohli’s Instagram post read. In the post, the number #269 caught the attention of fans who were curious to know what that number signified.
The number actually represents Kohli’s Test cap number which means he was the 269th player to represent India in the longest format. He got the cap when he made his debut against the West Indies in 2011.
“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 posted on Instagram.
“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,” he added.
In a legendary Test career, Kohli scored 9230 runs in 210 innings and stands fourth on the all-time charts among Indian batters, only behind the legendary trio of (15,921), (13,265), and Sunil Gavaskar (10,122) with 9230 runs at a 46.85 average.
