Virat Kohli’s Test ranking history is a remarkable one. He started his Test career in 2011 against the West Indies and was ranked 149th by the ICC. That was the start of his journey to the top, a feat no Indian had ever achieved.
Kohli’s rise was steady. By January 2012 he was in the top 50 after his first Test century in Adelaide. A year later he was in the top 20 and by February 2014 he was in the top 10. This showed his growth and change in his Test cricket.
His best moment came during the 2018 England tour. After scoring 97 and 103 at Trent Bridge he surpassed Steve Smith to become the number one Test batsman in the world. Later that month he reached his highest rating of 937 points which is still the highest by an Indian in Test cricket.
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The ICC All-Time Test Batting Rankings show Kohli is 11th with his peak rating of 937 points earned against England on August 22, 2018. He is among the best with the same rating as Marnus Labuschagne of Australia and just behind legends like Kumar Sangakkara, Gary Sobers, Viv Richards and Clyde Walcott who all had 938 points.
Kohli held the number one spot for almost 13 months. That was the peak of his Test career where his skill and mental strength was very strong against strong bowling attacks.
The road wasn’t easy. In the first rankings update of 2025 he dropped to 27th place, his first time outside the top 25 since December 2012. This big drop showed how tough Test cricket is and the problems older players face.
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On May 12, 2025 Virat Kohli retired from Test cricket after 14 years. He retired when his form had declined, his average had dropped from 55.10 in 2019 to 32.56 in the last two years. Still with 30 Test centuries and India’s 4th highest run-scorer in Test cricket Kohli’s place is secure as one of the greatest batsmen in cricket history.
