While the world is singing songs about the evolving, fast-paced nature of T20 cricket today and India’s dominance on the global stage of the shortest format after clinching back-to-back ICC Men’s T20 World Cups in 2024 and 2026, the national team once boasted about being at the pinnacle of the challenging world of red-ball Test cricket. Massive credit for that transformation goes to legendary Test captain Virat Kohli, who not only defined an era during his tenure from 2014 to 2022 but also laid the foundation for future generations to build on.
Today, May 12th, marks an entire year since one of the greatest players our generation has witnessed, a man with 9,230 Test runs in 123 matches and 30 centuries to his name, announced his retirement from the format that shaped him into the player and person he is today. On this very day in 2025, Virat announced his retirement through an Instagram post that sent shockwaves across the cricketing world.
Virat ended his heartfelt message with the words, “I’ll always look back at my Test career with a smile. #269, signing off,” bringing an emotional close to a beautiful journey for a boy from the streets of Delhi. A journey that began back in 2011, when he became India’s 269th Test cap.
On his 1-year retirement anniversary, fans took to social media expressing their gratitude for his contributions in taking Indian Test cricket to the next level. They shared heartfelt reactions about how much the nation misses watching jersey number 18 in the white Test colours.
One fan said on X, “Virat Kohli didn’t just play Test cricket… he made an entire generation fall in love with it again. One year since the King walked away from whites, but his legacy still echoes in every stadium.
Virat captained India in 68 Test matches and boasts a win percentage of nearly 60%, with 40 victories to his name. His legacy echoed from his home ground, the Arun Jaitley Stadium, all the way to the Sydney Cricket Ground in Australia, where he led India to a historic maiden Test series triumph on Australian soil during the 2018-2019 tour.
Another fan said, “Test cricket felt alive when Virat walked out in whites. The aggression, the passion, the stare after every wicket, the belief that India could win anywhere in the world… he made an entire generation emotionally addicted to red ball cricket. A year later, it still feels strange not seeing 18 in Tests. Some retirements leave a space that stats can never fill.”
Virat’s raw passion and aggression on the pitch have often been highlighted as factors that shaped Indian red-ball cricket and kept fans entertained even if the nation had to sit in front of screens for 5 consecutive days, a complete contrast to the modern fast-paced T20 setting where stats often matter more.
Virat, who represents the Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the IPL, saw his current franchise take to X to express support for their former captain and his unmatched contributions to the nation. “Fiercely. Competitively. Unapologetically. That’s how Virat Kohli played Test cricket. Somewhere along the way, he made the world fall in love with the purest format of the game. One year ago, #OnThisDay, Virat Kohli announced his retirement from Test Cricket, and all we can say is: We still miss you in the whites for India, King.”
Fan reactions
Many other fan reactions and comments have left social media in awe of arguably the greatest Test captain the nation has witnessed.
One user said, “But…..TEST CRICKET, OTD 12 May 2025… Virat Kohli retired from Test Cricket. WE LOVE YOU VIRAT, but we hate you too.”
Another said, “He made us wait for it, fight for it, and feel it. That aggression, that intensity, that “India will not back down” attitude — unmatched.”
Another Kohli fan said, “This is how white lost its colour.”
There will always be an ‘if’ around whether Virat could have continued in the whites for a little longer, but his contribution to the format will always speak louder than statistics. Only time will further define the greatness of what he achieved and prove that what he did was far from normal.
