In a landmark February for Indian cricket, both Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, two of the most notable players in India announced their retirement from Test cricket. Kohli’s and Sharma’s announcements, made in short succession in May 2025, ended a golden era in Indian cricket and launched India into a new era.
For both Kohli and Sharma, individual brilliance and leadership style left a legacy that changed what modern Test cricket looks like for India.
Virat Kohli: An Unrelenting Quest for Excellence
On May 12, 2025, Kohli decided to end an overwhelmingly successful Test cricket career to last over 14 years. Kohli first appeared for India in 2011, he was a successful and flamboyant cricketer. He was fierce in his competition, consistent and focused on excellence.
Kohli played stopped playing Test matches for India after 123 matches in which he scored 9,230 runs at an average of 46.85 with 30 centuries. Kohli brought India success overseas with series wins in the Test format and was widely regarded as one of the leading Test teams in the world.
Although statistics alone cannot discern Kohli’s greatness concerning Indian cricket, Kohli’s contribution to Indian cricket is immense. Indeed, Kohli has built a very competitive culture with an emphasis on fitness, mental toughness, focus, and aggression. It is widely believed among contemporary cricket legends, including Kapil Dev and Sunil Gavaskar, that Kohli’s innings as captain helped set up the entire Indian cricket structure to expose India as a full-time elite team and improve standards at the highest level of international cricket.
Rohit Sharma – The Elegant Craftsman
Just days before, on May 7, 2025, Rohit Sharma announced his retirement from the longest form of the game. Frequently considered one of the most naturally talented batsmen of his generation, Sharma’s re-fit into a Test opener in 2019 reignited his red-ball career and added a new chapter to India’s top order.
Sharma leaves Test cricket with a record of 4,301 runs from 61 matches and an average of 40.57, with a lot of memorable innings, both at home and abroad. His approach to captaincy, particularly as India’s Test captain in the past few years, has been very promising. His captaincy is characterized by good tactics and calm authority. From an aesthetically pleasing batting point of view, he was always a crowd favorite for his elegant stroke play, and was always a safe pair of hands at the crease, adept at setting the pace of the innings when needed.
A Challenge for Indian Cricket
This important juncture is exacerbated by the simultaneous retirements of two top-level players. The future is bright with young players like Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, and Sarfaraz Khan coming on strong. We are about to enter a time where we see a generational shift in Indian cricket.
In regard to Kohli and Sharma’s future, legendary cricketer Sunil Gavaskar stated, “I don’t see either Kohli or Sharma playing the 2027 ODI World Cup because of their ages, and we will see a spate of exciting young players come through.”
Kohli and Sharma clearly indicated their desire to keep playing for India in the limited overs format, but their retirement from Test cricket leaves a gap when it comes to the next generation of leaders and anchors of the batting line-up.
More Than Just Cricketers
The level of service that Kohli and Sharma provided goes well beyond the pitch. Kohli, through his foundation and public advocacy has eyes looking out for youth and fitness awareness, while Sharma has advocated for animal welfare and environmental conservation.
As such, they have been nothing more than great athletes but also a great figure that has inspired millions.
Going Forward
As Indian cricket transitions, no one can quite replace Kohli’s aggression nor Sharma’s stylishness. The standards that they set through their performance, professionalism and leadership will endure for generations to come to educate and inspire those that follow.
As it stands, it is not the end of their cricketing endeavors in whites; both players will be involved in cricket, whether this be in mentorship roles, commentary roles or leadership roles within a broader ecosystem of Indian cricket.
Their retirements mark the end of one important chapter but are by no means an end of their legacies.
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