Kane Williamson to follow Virat Kohli into Test retirement? New Zealand great drops huge remarks
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New Zealand veteran batter Kane Williamson made an honest admission as he spoke about legendary Indian cricketer Virat Kohli's sudden retirement from Test cricket.
Indian legend Virat Kohli's sudden decision to step away from his favourite format of the game, Test cricket, had shocked the entire nation as well as several others in the cricket fraternity. This marked the end of one of the greatest chapters of modern-day Test cricket.
Kohli had a celebrated Test career that lasted for over a decade in international cricket, and the Indian veteran made an appearance in 123 Tests and is often regarded as one of the greatest modern-day red-ball batters. His name was etched into the Fab-4 of modern-day cricket alongside Joe Root, Steve Smith, and Kane Williamson.
Kane Williamson was left astounded by Kohli's sudden retirement
Having dominated the longest format of the game for most of his long-spanning career, he saw a significant dip in his defining presence in red-ball cricket. His 2024/25 season ended in an unmistakable low, with just one century and his average dropping to a record low in his career.
Despite this, Kohli's form in ODI events has been outstanding, and his sudden call for retirement from the longest format had shocked all, which also had its impact on his peers like Kane Williamson. He said:
“It’s a reality at some stage. For someone like Virat, who made that decision to go out on his own terms and do what he’s done for the game, that’s amazing. That’s so special.
“Everyone was caught by surprise because you feel like it will never happen, but it does. I’m more aware of that than most – and that’s great,” the former Kiwi captain stated, as quoted by Independent.
Kane Williamson rejected a central contract with New Zealand for the second time in a row
Kane Williamson, the former New Zealand skipper, has been rejecting central contracts with the New Zealand Cricket Board and has opted to choose the series and matches he wants to make himself available for. He has only taken up casual contracts.
Despite having opted out of a contract, Williamson appeared in most of the Test matches in the last season and scored big runs, and he was also part of New Zealand's 2025 ICC Champions Trophy squad that played in the finals.
“You never really consider it, and you do see some of your opponents and mates making some of these decisions, and you think, ‘gosh, it has been a while,’ and you’re not getting younger,” Williamson said while referring to his retirement call anytime soon.
A brief comparison of Kane Williamson and Virat Kohli's Test numbers
Having made his Test debut against the West Indies back in 2011, 36-year-old Virat Kohli played 123 Tests for India and scored 9230 runs with an average of 46.85. He has 30 hundreds in his Test career and a record number of 7 double centuries, the most by an Indian cricketer.
While Kane Williamson, the New Zealand great, made his debut in Test cricket against India back in 2010, but rose to fame in later years. Having played 105 matches for New Zealand, he has scored 9276 runs with an average of 54.88. He has 33 hundred in his career.
Both the batters are marked as legends of modern-day Test cricket and great captains as well. Virat Kohli, often regarded as India's most successful Test skipper, lost the first WTC Final to a Kane Williamson-led New Zealand in 2021. Also, Williamson led New Zealand to the 2019 World Cup finals after defeating Kohli-led India in the semi-finals.
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Tagged:
India National Cricket Team Kane Williamson New Zealand National Cricket Team Virat Kohli ICC World Test Championship
