Virat Kohli’s decision to step away from Test cricket last year caught the cricketing world off guard, especially with many believing he still had more to offer in the longest format. The call came midway through IPL 2025, at a time when pressure around his red-ball form had begun to build. A difficult tour of Australia had exposed his repeated struggles outside the off-stump, drawing constant scrutiny. In a bid to rediscover rhythm, he even turned up in the Ranji Trophy, hoping for a reset, but the runs didn’t come there either. With expectations mounting and little respite from the spotlight, Kohli chose to walk away from Tests, bringing an abrupt end to a remarkable red-ball chapter.
In 123 Tests, Kohli scored 9,230 runs at an average of 46.85, including 30 centuries and 31 fifties, with a highest score of 254*. Since his 2011 debut, he combined an aggressive mindset with remarkable consistency during his captaincy tenure, leading India to historic victories and setting new benchmarks, leaving behind a legacy as India’s most successful Test skipper.
Ravichandran Ashwin, who shared a dressing room with Kohli for years, revealed that he had personally told his former skipper there was still Test cricket left in him.
“I’ve directly told him that he had cricket left him in Test cricket. There was something left in Test cricket, but it’s okay, honestly. There is a problem in India about the perception,” Ashwin said on his YouTube channel.
“Not an easy decision for Virat Kohli”
Continuing his thoughts on Kohli’s Test retirement, Ashwin reflected on his team-first approach and the difficult decision to step away from red-ball cricket, emphasising the respect and principles that defined his career.
“He has retired, I mean, even look at it from Virat’s value and Virat’s principle, he always kept team first. Even at press conferences, he always said that the team is very important, that we have got to win. He has said all this. And for him to say okay, I’ve taken a retirement, I want to come back, it’s not an easy decision for him to make, also, but I do certainly believe he had some cricket left,” he added.
