“Records were not important to him”: Reflecting the Test Retirement of the 1983 World Cup winner Virat Kohli

In a surprising movement, Virat Kohli announced on May 12, 2025 that he retired from the test jack and attracted reactions from the cricket world. Among them, former Indian evil worker Syed Kirmani believes that Kohli’s decision has survived any external pressure. Kirmani thinks that the international cricket load may have pushed the star dough to move away. The 1983 World Cup winner said that Kohli still has more to contribute to the format, but chose to leave according to its own conditions.

Virat Kohli ended his Red ball journey as the fourth highest -top scorer behind Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and Sunil Gavaskar in India’s test jack. Kohli, known for his passion, intensity and vitality, redefined his test jack for the modern era as both actor and captain.

Syed Kirmani, who reacted to the news, praised Kohli’s own awareness, “I do not feel that he is in pursuit of records. Cricket may be a surplus. The records do not matter to him. I do not think that there is any pressure on him when deciding.”

Kirmani added that the form and performance questions are irrelevant in the context that insists that the choice is clearly personal.

Kohli’s last red ball appearance was for Delhi in the Range Cup earlier this year and made this announcement even more unexpected. Delhi’s coach Sarandeep Singh also expressed his surprise and said that Kohli showed the intention of continuing to play at the highest level.

Kohli’s last red ball appearance was for Delhi in the Range Cup earlier this year and made this announcement even more unexpected. Delhi’s coach Sarandeep Singh also expressed his surprise, and Kohli showed the intention of continuing to play at the highest level.

A fan -led initiative invites the audience to wear white test jerseys under the name of Kohli as a praise for the iconic test career of the audience.

On the leadership front, Senior Spinner R Ashwin supported Jasprit Bumrah as a potential candidate to lead India in the future red ball format. Kohli’s test section officially closes, as one of India’s largest test players, heritage will continue to inspire future generations.