Adam Gilchrist Has Absolutely No Problem with the Timing of Virat Kohli’s Sudden Test Retirement

Ex-Australian keeper Adam Gilchrist praised Virat Kohli's timely Test retirement, noting he avoided media hype, much like his own exit.

Adam Gilchrist Has Absolutely No Problem with the Timing of Virat Kohli’s Sudden Test Retirement

Adam Gilchrist exclaimed that Virat Kohli retired at the perfect time. (via NDTV Sports)

Ex-Australian wicket-keeper Adam Gilchrist praised Virat Kohli for having retired from Test cricket at the perfect time, without creating media speculation or unnecessary hype. Gilchrist, who himself retired at almost the same age as Kohli, congratulated him for coming up with the decision. 

Virat Kohli surprised fans last month, by announcing his decision to retire from Test cricket on social media. He decided to call time on his red-ball career that spanned over a decade, where he emerged as India’s most successful Test captain. In the 68 Tests that he led the team in, India won 40 of them. Only Steve Waugh, Ricky Ponting and Graeme Smith have registered more wins as Test captains, than Kohli.

Under Virat Kohli’s leadership, the Indian Test team maintained an impressive 12-year unbeaten streak at home, a run that began in 2012. Kohli also guided the team to crucial away series victories in Australia, England, and South Africa. Despite these successes, he had to step down from India’s Test captaincy role in January 2022, after a poor showing in an away series against South Africa.

The 36-year-old’s decision to retire from the longest format, many believe, was prompted by the criticism surrounding his poor form in red-ball cricket over the past year. In the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy, Kohli averaged a poor 23.75 in five matches, his lowest in Australia. Despite this, Indian fans had hoped he would continue playing. However, Kohli chose to retire, finishing with 9,230 runs in 123 matches, just short of the 10,000-run milestone in Test cricket.

While many former players claimed that Kohli retired too soon, Australian legend Adam Gilchrist however shared a different opinion. A three-time World Cup winner, Gilchrist expressed his happiness with Kohli for having made a decision all by himself. The Aussie noted that Kohli did not have to endure a period of public speculation, and was not subjected to external opinions regarding his Test retirement. He told Sports Yaari:

I’m really happy for him that he [Virat Kohli] came to the decision himself. He didn’t ride a period of speculations where a lot is said in the press, and you’re judged by external voices.

Expressing admiration for the 36-year-old’s decision, Gilchrist went on to state that he always believed that it is better for a player to be questioned about ‘why did he retire’, and not about ‘why has he not retired’. The 53-year-old suggested exclaimed that Kohli had nothing left to prove in Tests, and that he retired because he acknowledged the fact that he could not play at the highest level anymore:

We have seen a bit of a drop from that in recent years, and he’s probably acknowledged that. He’s nothing to prove to anyone.

Moreover, Adam Gilchrist also reminisced about his own Test retirement back in 2008, as well as the media speculation and public attention surrounding his decision. Gilchrist had announced his retirement from red-ball cricket at the age of 36, midway through the 2008 Test series against India at home, after the conclusion of the third match in Adelaide. 

Bangladesh’s Mushfiqur Rahim Breaks Unique International Record, Surpassing Australian Legend Adam Gilchrist

Bangladeshi wicket-keeper batsman Mushfiqur Rahim broke a unique international record during the opening Test of a two-match series against Sri Lanka at the Galle International Stadium. He achieved this unique feat while scoring his 12th Test century, on the second day of Bangladesh’s first innings.

Mushfiqur Rahim breaks Adam Gilchrist record
Bangladesh’s Mushfiqur Rahim broke a unique Adam Gilchrist’s run-scoring record. (via ESPN Cricinfo)

Mushfiqur Rahim’s knock propelled him to the top of a rare list of international players with the most runs across all formats, without having bowled a single delivery. The 38-year-old now stands top of the list with more than 15,500 runs, surpassing even the likes of Australian legend Adam Gilchrist, who scored 15,461 runs, without bowling, and former South African keeper Quinton de Kock.

Most of Rahim’s runs came in the 50-over format, with him having scored 7,795 runs in 274 ODIs for Bangladesh. Across more than 450 international appearances for his country, he now holds an impressive record of 21 centuries and 82 half-centuries in all formats.