Anushka Sharma says ‘earned every bit of it' after Virat Kohli announces retirement from Test Cricket after 14 years
From fans, teammates, legends of the game, and Bollywood celebrities social media eruped as they paid homage to one of modern cricket’s most defining figures.
Indian cricketer Virat Kohli’s announcement on Monday morning that he is retiring from Test cricket sparked an emotional wave of reactions across social media. His wife actor Anushka Sharma shared a long post dedicated to a stellar career.
“They’ll talk about the records and the milestones — but I’ll remember the tears you never showed, the battles no one saw, and the unwavering love you gave this format of the game. I know how much all this took from you. After every Test series, you came back a little wiser, a little humbler — and watching you evolve through it all has been a privilege. Somehow, I always imagined you’d retire international cricket in whites — But you’ve always followed your heart, and so I just want to say my love, you’ve earned every bit of this goodbye,” she wrote on Instagram.
Cricket fans to fellow players and Bollywood celebrities, tributes flooded in for the man who has been at the heart of Indian Test cricket for over a decade.
The former India captain took to Instagram on Monday morning to share the emotional news with fans across the globe.
“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... 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... #269, signing off,” he wrote alongside a nostalgic photo of himself wearing India’s iconic whites.
Virat made his Test debut in 2011 and went on to play 113 Test matches for India. In that time, he scored 9,230 runs at an average of 48.67, including 30 centuries and 31 fifties. His highest score — an unbeaten 254 against South Africa in Pune — remains one of the finest innings by an Indian batsman in modern cricket.
Shortly after Virat posted his heartfelt farewell to the format on Instagram, reactions began pouring in, many of them deeply personal. The cricketing world — past and present — came together to celebrate not just his statistics, but the spirit he brought to the game. Fans across platforms reminisced about Virat’s best knocks — from his fighting hundred at Perth to the majestic 254* in Pune.
His legacy goes far beyond the numbers. As Test captain, Virat led India in 68 matches, winning 40 — the most by any Indian captain to date. Under his leadership, India climbed to the No. 1 Test ranking and reached two consecutive ICC World Test Championship finals. His aggressive captaincy style, emphasis on fitness, and championing of fast bowlers helped transform India into a dominant force in red-ball cricket, both at home and overseas.
Virat’s retirement from Tests isn’t just the end of a chapter in Indian cricket; it’s the end of an era that saw the team evolve under his firebrand leadership. And as social media lit up in tribute, one thing was clear: this goodbye may be final on paper, but his legacy in whites will live on in the hearts of a billion people.
