Kane Williamson Reveals His Reaction to Virat Kohli’s Test Retirement News

Virat Kohli’s sudden retirement from Test cricket in May 2025 brought the curtain down on a glittering red-ball career in which he amassed 9,230 runs in 123 matches, cementing his place among the game’s modern greats and the storied “Fab Four” alongside Kane Williamson, Joe Root, and Steve Smith.

Kohli’s decision caught many off guard, including Williamson, who admitted the announcement made him reflect on the passage of time in his own career.

The Indian legend’s final season in whites was a lean one, with just one century and no fifties in series against Bangladesh, New Zealand, and Australia. Still, Williamson praised his ability to walk away on his own terms after such an influential tenure.

“You don’t often think about it, but when you see some of your opponents and teammates making such decisions, you realise, ‘wow, it’s been quite some time,’ and you start to feel that you’re not getting any younger,” Williamson told The Independent.

“For someone like Virat, who stepped away on his own terms and achieved what he has for the game, it was incredible. It’s truly special. Everyone was taken aback because you never really expect it to happen, but it does. I’m more conscious of that than most – and that’s a good thing.”

Kohli departs the longest format as one of India’s most prolific captains and a batter who shaped an era, his intensity and consistency setting new benchmarks for Test cricket.