On July 8, nearly two months after announcing his Test retirement, Virat Kohli spoke about it for the first time. In London, he was at a charity event hosted by Yuvraj Singh for the YouWeCan Foundation.

Gaurav Kapur asked Kohli to join Ravi Shastri, Yuvraj Singh, Chris Gayle, Kevin Pietersen and Darren Gough on the stage. Then, the 36-year-old joked about the reason for his retirement from Test cricket.

“I just coloured my beard two days ago. You know it’s time when you are colouring your beard every four days,” Virat quipped.

Virat Kohli’s Test career

Virat Kohli’s Test career, spanning from 2011 to 2025, saw him play 123 matches and 210 innings. He scored 9,230 runs at an average of 46.85. He smashed 30 centuries and 31 fifties.

Against Australia, he scored 2,232 runs, including 9 hundreds. He averaged over 50 against South Africa and Sri Lanka, with 254* vs South Africa as his top score.

His average was highest against Sri Lanka (67.81). Kohli’s Test career strike rate was 55.57, and he hit 1,027 fours and 30 sixes. He scored double centuries against multiple teams, Bangladesh, England, Sri Lanka, West Indies and South Africa.

At the same time, Virat Kohli registered 15 ducks in his Test career. His first came in 2011 against West Indies in Bridgetown while the last was in 2024 versus New Zealand in Bengaluru.

Most of his ducks were caught dismissals, with a few bowled or lbw. England (6) accounted for the most dismissals of Kohli for zero, followed by Australia (3), West Indies (2) and New Zealand (2).

Virat Kohli’s Test retirement

On May 11, Virat Kohli announced his Test cricket retirement with immediate effect. The declaration came days before India’s five-match Test tour to England.

“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,” Kohli wrote on social media.