"Will miss u cheeks" - Gautam Gambhir wishes Virat Kohli on Test retirement with classic BGT 2024-25 moment [In Picture]

Team India head coach Gautam Gambhir wished Virat Kohli after the legendary batter drew a curtain on his successful Test career on Monday, May 12. The 43-year-old called Kohli a man with a lion's passion, adding that he will miss him in the Test setup.

Notably, Kohli shared an Instagram post, confirming his retirement after days of speculation regarding his future in Tests. The right-hander finished as the fourth-highest run-getter for India, behind Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, and Sunil Gavaskar. His decision came ahead of the World Test Championship (WTC) 2025-27 cycle. India will next play against England in a five-match Test series, which begins on June 20.

Gautam Gambhir shared a picture of Kohli lifting his bat after his 30th Test century and wrote on X:

“A man with lion’s passion! Will miss u cheeks….”

Take a look:

“It’s not easy — but it feels right” – Virat Kohli pens down emotional retirement post on Instagram

Virat Kohli penned an emotional retirement post on Instagram to draw curtains on his Test career on Monday, May 12. The 36-year-old wrote:

“As I step away from this format, it’s not easy — but it feels right. I’ve given it everything I had, and it’s given me back so much more than I could’ve hoped for.”

“I’ll always look back at my Test career with a smile. #269, signing off,” he added.

Virat Kohli was not at his best in his last three Test series. The Delhi batter managed 99 and 93 runs against Bangladesh and New Zealand in two and three-match Test series, averaging 33 and 15.50, respectively, at home. He then smashed a century against Australia in the first of the fifth Test in Perth to silence the critics, but only managed 90 runs in his remaining eight innings.

While Kohli looked miserable against spin in Asia, he was exposed outside the off-stump during the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy Down Under.

With Kohli following the footsteps of Rohit Sharma and Ravichandran Ashwin (retirements), it’s the end of an era for Team India in the longest format. Team India have huge voids to fill in all three facets of the game.