Three legends step down from Test Cricket

damithudaya (77)member🏏in The World of Sports • 2 months ago

Hello, fellow Sports Enthusiasts,

Well, in May 2025, we received some disturbing news as three legends of the game bid farewell to Test Cricket. For the beautiful memories they gave us, and for their remarkable careers to lighten the World of Cricket, I have to share my piece for them.

Happy Retirement, champs: Kohli, Rohit, and Anji! You will be missed!

Rohit Sharma

Well, one of the best openers and captains India has ever produced, especially in the shorter format. After retiring from the T20 internationals in 2024 with the World Cup Trophy, on May 07, he retired from Test Cricket and stepped down from the captaincy as well. He didn't have a very big career in the longer format, but it was a colourful one.

He played his debut Test on the 6th of November 2013 against the West Indies, after 6 years from his debut. In his debut, he scored 177, the second-highest individual score on debut by an Indian, and another hundred after that. Just playing in 67 matches,, he has scored 4000+ runs with an average of 40+. In February 2022, he was appointed as the captain of the Indian Test team and led them to the finals of the 2022-2023 World Test Championship. Anyway, with the poor form in the last few series, his decision may have been made.

Career statistics

Matches	Runs scored	Batting average	100s/50s	Top score	Catches
67	4,301	40.57	12/18	212	68

Virat Kohli

Well, this is the most depressing and surprising announcement. He is the inspiration, the greatest batsman of the modern era, and he is the king! He was making his legacy, especially in 2016-2019, which was just his peak level. Having a 50+ average in all three formats, dominating the rankings, he could have broken all the Batting records.

Anyway, the last few years were horrible for him, and his 55+ Test average dropped down to 46. Anyway, the impact of him on World Cricket, his fighting and intense mentality as a captain and a player will always be remembered.

He received his Test debut on 20 June 2011 v West Indies, and from there, it's just an elegant journey. He has received the highest peak rating in men's rankings for an Indian in Test Cricket, 937 points in 2018, and scored 7 double centuries as well. He has the most wins as an Indian captain, 40 out of 68 matches. In 2017, 2018, and 2019, he represented the Test Team of the Year as the captain, and also in the Test Team of the Decade as the captain as well. He has won Test Cricket of the Year multiple times, and Cricketer of the Decade is his too.

Career statistics

Matches	Runs scored	Batting average	100s/50s	Top score	Catches
123	9,230	46.85	30/31	254*	121

Angelo Mathews

Well, he is the last legend to retire from the Sri Lankan golden era. He is set to play his final Test match against Bangladesh in June at Galle. From the start of his career on 4th of July 2009 vs Pakistan, he became a valuable All arounder for Sri Lanka in all three formats. He showed it, he delivered it especially up to 2015 in our legendary era. Anyway, he was unable to carry the responsibility as a senior from there, due to injuries, and poor form, which greatly affected for the downfall of Sri Lankan Cricket.

Anyway, he still has a remarkable career with 8000+ runs with an average of 44+. In 2015, he was named as the Wisden Cricketer of the Year as well.