Virat Kohli

Virat Kohli, the mainstay of the Indian Test team for 14 years (123 matches) announced his sudden retirement from Test cricket on Monday, May 12, 2025. 

This decision has come as a surprise to many, especially as it precedes India's upcoming five-Test tour of England, starting on June 20.

The announcement follows closely on the heels of Rohit Sharma's retirement from Test cricket, leaving India to reshape its senior batting order and appoint a new captain for the England series.

Having already retired from T20 Internationals after India’s T20 World Cup win in 2024, Kohli's decision now is to primarily focus on One Day Internationals (ODIs) and role in the 2027 Cricket World Cup.

Achievements of Virat Kohli in Cricket

Below is the categorized list of Virat Kohli's achievements:

Test Cricket

Virat Kohli amassed 9,230 runs at an average of 46.85 from 123 Test matches, with 30 centuries and 31 fifties in 210 innings. 

He was also India's fourth-highest run-getter, behind Sachin Tendulkar (15,921 runs), Rahul Dravid (13,265 runs) and Sunil Gavaskar (10,122 runs).

His Test debut was in 2011 against West Indies and became India's Test captain in 2014.

Under his leadership, India won 40 test matches out of the total of 68 matches thus becoming India’s most successful Test captain. 

Now stands in 4th place as Test captain who registered wins after Steve Waugh (41), Ricky Ponting (48), and Graeme Smith (53).

• Most Test wins as captain of India (40 wins in 68 matches).
• Captain of the first Indian team to win a Test series in Australia (2018-19).
• One of the few batsmen to score a century in his debut Test as captain.
• First Indian and Asian captain to win a Test match at Centurion, South Africa.
• Only Indian captain to win a Test series in the West Indies more than once.
• First Indian captain to win a Test series in Australia (2018–19).
• Holds the record for the most runs scored by an Indian captain in a Test series.
• Virat Kohli scored 692 runs in the 2014–15 Test series against Australia, the highest by an Indian captain in a single series.
• Won all Test series at home during his captaincy tenure.
• Longest unbeaten streak at home in Tests under his captaincy.
• Scored 7,000+ runs as Test captain (only behind Graeme Smith & Allan Border).
• Holds the record for the most double centuries by an Indian batsman in Tests (7).
• First Indian batsman to score four double centuries in four consecutive Test series.
• Fastest Indian to 8,000, 9,000, and 10,000 Test runs.
• Only player to average over 50 in Tests while having captained in 50 or more matches.
• Has been named Wisden Leading Cricketer in the World three times.
• Captain of Team India to the World Test Championship final (2021).

T20 Cricket & IPL

• Highest run-scorer in T20 Internationals (4,188 runs in 125 matches).
• Highest career batting average in T20 Internationals.
• Fastest to reach 3,000 and 3,500 runs in T20 Internationals.
• Most Player-of-the-Match awards in T20 Internationals.
• Most Player-of-the-series awards in T20 Internationals.
• Only player to have scored over 1000 runs in multiple T20 World Cups.
• Highest run-scorer in the ICC T20 World Cup tournaments.
• Holds the record for most runs in a T20 World Cup edition (319 runs in 2014).
• Part of the Indian team that won the ICC T20 World Cup in 2024.
• Highest run-scorer in the Indian Premier League (IPL).
• Most centuries in the IPL (8).
• Most fifties in the IPL (62).
• Most runs in a single IPL season (973 runs in 2016).
• IPL Orange Cap winner in 2016 & 2024.
• Highest career batting average among batsmen with a significant number of IPL runs.
• Most runs against Delhi Capitals in the IPL.
• In 28 matches against Delhi Capitals, Kohli has amassed 1,030 runs at an average of 51.50, including 10 fifties.
• The only player in the IPL to have played all seasons for one team, the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB).

Other Achievements (ODIs, ICC Tournaments, and Global Recognition)

• Included in Time's 100 most influential people in the world list in 2018.
• Only player to achieve 900 rating points in all three formats of international cricket.
• Set the record for the most runs in a single edition of the 50-over World Cup (765 runs in 2023).
• Has scored over 2000 runs in international cricket in a calendar year the most number of times (7).
• Has won multiple CEAT International Cricketer of the Year awards.
• Has won multiple Polly Umrigar Awards for the best international cricketer of the year by the BCCI.
• Has won the Barmy Army International Player of the Year award multiple times.
• Among the top followed athletes globally on social media.
• Endorsement and commercial brand value often ranked No. 1 among Indian athletes.
• Founded the Virat Kohli Foundation, focusing on underprivileged children and athletes.

ODI

• Most ODI centuries (51).
• Most ODI centuries while chasing (26).
• Most ODI centuries against a single opponent (Sri Lanka).
• Kohli has scored 10 centuries against Sri Lanka in ODIs, the most by any player against a single team.
• First player to score 3 consecutive hundreds in ODIs twice.
• Most runs in a series in ODIs (765 runs).
• Third-highest run-scorer in One Day Internationals.
• Highest individual score by an Indian in ODIs against Pakistan (183 runs in Asia Cup 2012).
• Fastest to multiple ODI run milestones (8,000, 9,000, 10,000, 11,000, 12,000, 13,000 & 14,000 runs).
• Most 100+ partnerships in ODIs with Rohit Sharma.
• Holds the record for fastest to 12,000 and 13,000 ODI runs in terms of innings.
• Holds third highest batting average (57.88) after Ryan ten Doeschate of Netherlands & Shubman Gill. 
• Has become the seventh player from India and the 22nd player in the world to achieve the milestone of playing 300 ODIs.

ICC

• Captain of the ICC U19 Cricket World Cup-winning team in 2008.
• Member of the ICC Cricket World Cup-winning team in 2011.
• Member of the ICC Champions Trophy-winning team in 2013
• Member of the ICC T20 World Cup-winning team in 2024.
• Member of the ICC Champions Trophy-winning team in 2025.
• Has won the ICC ODI Player of the Year award four times (2012, 2017, 2018, 2023).
• Has won the ICC Cricketer of the Year award twice (2017, 2018).
• Won the ICC Spirit of Cricket Award in 2019.
• Named ICC Cricketer of the Decade (2011-2020).
• Has achieved a historic feat by playing his 300th ODI against New Zealand in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025.

National Awards

• Arjuna Award (2013), 
• Padma Shri (2017), 
• Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award (2018).

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