Virat Kohli Could Retire From Tests Before England Tour: Reports

In what could be the single most significant development in Indian cricket in well over a decade, it is believed that there is a high possibility that Virat Kohli might hang up his boots from Test cricket before the commencement of the five-Test series in England next month.

After the sudden Test retirement of Rohit Sharma, it was believed that Kohli would be the senior guiding the side in English conditions, but The Indian Express have reported that the former Test skipper has already communicated his wish to call it quits from red-ball cricket. However, the BCCI are believed to have asked Kohli to rethink his decision.

“He has made up his mind and has informed the board that he is moving on from Test cricket. The BCCI has urged him to rethink as the crucial England tour is coming up. He is yet to revert on the request,” Indian Express quoted a source as saying.

Kohli has been in sublime touch in both ODIs and T20s, but the same cannot be said for his Test form. Since the start of 2020, he averages just 30.72 in 39 Tests with three hundreds to his name. 

In 11 Tests since 2024, he’s been averaging just 23.15 and was a complete non-factor in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia, where he averaged 23.75, infamously getting caught behind the wickets every single time, barring the unbeaten ton he scored in Perth.

The five-Test series against England starts on June 20 at Headingley. Kohli has played 17 Tests in England to date, and has been part of three different tours, averaging 33.21 in the country.

Currently, Kohli is the fourth-highest run-getter in the now-paused Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025, where he has scored 505 runs at an average of 63.12.