Virat Kohli announced his retirement from Test cricket through Instagram, ending speculation. The veteran cricketer posted, “I am walking away with a heart full of gratitude—for the game, for the people.”
He posted an emotional message on the social media platform, “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.”
In professions where the retirement age is not fixed, like sports, it becomes the players’ responsibility to decide whether to stretch their careers a bit more or retire. This could be more difficult when people around them want the player to continue.
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For Kohli, this seems the case. “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."
"I'LL ALWAYS LOOK BACK AT MY TEST CAREER WITH A SMILE. "#269, signing off," his post reads.
He made his Test cricket debut in 2011 against the West Indies. He has played 123 Tests and scored 9,230 runs. He led the team in 68 matches and won 40 while securing 11 draws.
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Last week, Rohit Sharma also announced his retirement from the same long-format game, and since then speculations have been high about Kohli’s retirement as well. Now, it is the reality. The two veterans’ retirement came just a few days before the five-match Test series scheduled to start on June 20, 2025, in England.
T20:
In July last year, Kohli announced his retirement from the shortest format of the game after India won the 2024 T20 World Cup. In a post-match presentation then, he said, “This was my last T20 World Cup, and this is what we wanted to achieve. One day you feel you can't get a run, and then, things happen, God is great. (It is) just the occasion, now or never kind of situation. This was my last T20 game playing for India. We wanted to lift that cup."
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Retirement At 36: Kohli’s Streams Of Income And Net Worth
The net worth of Kohli and his wife (Anushka Sharma) together is over Rs 1,250 crore, according to a report by Times Now.
• Individually, Kohli’s net worth is over Rs 1,000 crore. His earnings include an annual Rs 7 crore from the BCCI contract, and separate fees for each match, which is Rs 15 lakh from Test matches, Rs 6 lakh from ODIs, and Rs 3 lakh from T20s.
• Reportedly, the Indian Premier League (IPL) remains a huge contributor to his income with more than Rs 20 crore, annually.
• Like any celebrity, a large part of his income comes from endorsements, such as MRF Tyres, Audi India, Tissot, Myntra, Puma, Nestle, and many more. He has an 8-year deal with MRF and Puma, which amounts to more than Rs 100 crores each.
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• His other investments include real estate (in Delhi, Mumbai, and Gurugram), restaurants, investment in start-ups, co-owning fashion labels, co-owning teams in Tennis, wrestling, etc., and more sports investment.
• In addition to it, he also runs the Virat Kohli Foundation (VKF). He launched it in 2013 to promote and develop sports talent in the country, improve tribal children’s health by enhancing nutrition, and support the welfare of stray animals.
