With 9,230 runs in Test cricket, Virat Kohli retired as the 19th-most prolific run-scorer in the history of Test cricket.
On May 12, 2025, Kohli announced his retirement from Test cricket. He finished as the 19th-highest run-scorer in the history of the format. Only three Indians – Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, and Sunil Gavaskar – have more Test runs than Kohli’s 9,230, scored across 123 Tests at an average of 46.85.
Read: Virat Kohli retires from Test cricket ahead of England tour
When 2019 ended, Kohli’s Test career stood at 7,202 runs at 54.97 with 27 hundreds. At that stage, it was not unreasonable to back him to get another five thousand runs. Unfortunately, the runs dried out, and he got only 2,028 more runs at 30.72 with three hundreds since then.
Quiz! How well do you know Virat Kohli’s career?
Joe Root leads the tally among current Test cricketers, followed by Steve Smith. After Kohli’s departure, Kane Williamson has moved to third place.
Most runs in Test cricket as on May 12, 2025
| Player | Primary team | Tests | Runs | Highest | Average | 100s | 50s | Active |
| Sachin Tendulkar | India | 200 | 15,921 | 248* | 53.78 | 51 | 68 | |
| Ricky Ponting | Australia | 168 | 13,378 | 257 | 51.85 | 41 | 62 | |
| Jacques Kallis | South Africa | 166 | 13,289 | 224 | 55.37 | 45 | 58 | |
| Rahul Dravid | India | 164 | 13,288 | 270 | 52.31 | 36 | 63 | |
| Joe Root | England | 152 | 12,972 | 262 | 50.87 | 36 | 65 | Yes |
| Alastair Cook | England | 161 | 12,472 | 294 | 45.35 | 33 | 57 | |
| Kumar Sangakkara | Sri Lanka | 134 | 12,400 | 319 | 57.40 | 38 | 52 | |
| Brian Lara | West Indies | 131 | 11,953 | 400* | 52.88 | 34 | 48 | |
| Shivnarine Chanderpaul | West Indies | 164 | 11,867 | 203* | 51.37 | 30 | 66 | |
| Mahela Jayawardene | Sri Lanka | 149 | 11,814 | 374 | 49.84 | 34 | 50 | |
| Allan Border | Australia | 156 | 11,174 | 205 | 50.56 | 27 | 63 | |
| Steve Waugh | Australia | 168 | 10,927 | 200 | 51.06 | 32 | 50 | |
| Steve Smith | Australia | 116 | 10,271 | 239 | 56.74 | 36 | 41 | Yes |
| Sunil Gavaskar | India | 125 | 10,122 | 236* | 51.12 | 34 | 45 | |
| Younis Khan | Pakistan | 118 | 10,099 | 313 | 52.05 | 34 | 33 | |
| Hashim Amla | South Africa | 124 | 9,282 | 311* | 46.64 | 28 | 41 | |
| Kane Williamson | New Zealand | 105 | 9,276 | 251 | 54.88 | 33 | 37 | Yes |
| Graeme Smith | South Africa | 117 | 9,265 | 277 | 48.25 | 27 | 38 | |
| Virat Kohli | India | 123 | 9,230 | 254* | 46.85 | 30 | 31 | |
| Graham Gooch | England | 118 | 8,900 | 333 | 42.58 | 20 | 46 |
