Published on: Sep 4, 2025 4:16 pm IST|Updated on: Sep 4, 2025 4:16 pm IST
2025 has been a year of goodbyes, particularly in Indian cricket. After the shocking retirements of Virat Kohli from T20Is, Rohit Sharma from T20Is, and Ravichandran Ashwin from international cricket in 2024, a series of retirements from some of the biggest cricketing names, not only in India but around the globe, have decided to call it a day in different formats. In this post, we have compiled a list of Indian cricketers who have hung up their boots from different formats of international cricket.
Rohit Sharma, the current ODI skipper of Team India, announced his T20I retirement after leading the team to a title victory in the T20 World Cup 2024. The 38-year-old right-hander dropped a bombshell among his fans right before India’s red-ball tour to England 2025 by announcing his retirement from the purest format of the game, i.e., Test cricket, on May 7, 2025, via an Instagram post.
Here’s a complete breakdown of Rohit Sharma’s Test career.
Sharma didn’t have a stellar career in red-ball cricket, but managed to finish his 67-match Test career with 4301 runs from 116 innings at an average of 40.57. His last Test came against Australia down under in December 2024 at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne.
After hanging up his boots in T20Is, one of the finest batters of this generation, Virat Kohli, followed his close friend Rohit Sharma by announcing his retirement from the format he loved the most. i.e., Test cricket. Virat took to Instagram to announce his decision on May 12, 2025, and effectively made himself unavailable for the 5 Tests on the England tour, which he had been preparing for by playing in the 2024-25 Ranji Trophy season.
Here’s a complete breakdown of Virat Kohli’s Test career.
Virat Kohli ended his decorated Test career as India’s most successful Test skipper by winning 40 of the 68 Tests he has led the team. One of the modern-day greats, Kohli gained the numero uno Test batter rank multiple times in his career and ended his prolific career with 9230 runs from 210 Test innings, including 31 tons and an average nearing 47. The last 4 years of his career weren’t great; otherwise, the 36-year-old would have been averaging somewhere around 54.
The 37-year-old Cheteshwar Pujara recently announced his retirement from international cricket. Fondly called the modern-day ‘wall,’ Pujara took this call on August 24, 2025. His decision came more than two years after his last Test appearance, which was in the 2023 World Test Championship Final against Australia at The Oval. Pujara made the announcement via a heartfelt social media post, expressing gratitude for his journey and the honor of representing India.
Here’s a complete breakdown of Cheteshwar Pujara’s Test career.
Pujara’s legacy is built on grit, patience, and classical technique, often compared to Rahul Dravid for his ability to grind down bowling attacks. Pujara never had a run to impress in white-ball cricket, but his Test cricket numbers were always the linchpin of his international career.
Wriddhiman Saha’s international career was largely overshadowed by the meteoric rise of MS Dhoni. Often termed as the best wicketkeeper the country has ever produced, Saha announced his retirement from all forms of cricket on February 1, 2025. While he had earlier stepped away from international cricket in November 2024, this marked the end of his domestic career as well.
Here’s a complete breakdown of Wriddhiman Saha’s Test career.
Saha was widely regarded for his sharp wicketkeeping skills, especially standing up to spinners. He effected 104 dismissals (92 catches, 12 stumpings) in Tests, making him one of India’s most reliable glovemen in the post-Dhoni era. Saha last represented India on December 3, 2021, against New Zealand at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. He announced his international retirement three years after getting dropped from the squad.
India’s spin bowling wizard, especially in Test cricket, announced his international retirement midway through the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in 2024 against Australia. He announced a sudden retirement after the third Test of the series at the Gabba in Brisbane. The 38-year-old was always a stalwart with his smart thinking and sharp turns, especially in home conditions. He ended his sublime Test career as India’s second-highest wicket taker in Test cricket, right behind the great Anil Kumble.
Here’s a complete breakdown of Ashwin’s bowling numbers in Test cricket.
Ashwin’s batting numbers in Test cricket
Ashwin’s legacy as a “thinking cricketer” is cemented by his elite wicket tally, match-winning spells, and valuable lower-order contributions with the bat. He has called his day in Indian cricket and paved the way for opportunities that lie ahead for him in other international franchise leagues.
Former Indian leg spinner Piyush Chawla called his day in international cricket via a lengthy post on his Instagram page on June 6, 2025. Chawla last donned the Indian jersey on December 22, 2012, against England in a T20I at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. Although his international career wasn’t a lengthy one, he remained a key figure in the IPL for quite a long time. Chawla’s international career finished with 3 Tests, 25 ODIs, and 7 T20I appearances.
Here’s a complete breakdown of Piyush Chawla’s bowling numbers in ODI cricket.
Chawla made his ODI debut on May 12, 2007, against Bangladesh, and played his final ODI on March 9, 2011, against the Netherlands. The biggest highlight of his international career was being part of India’s victorious 2011 World Cup squad.
Rishi Dhawan, the pace bowling all-rounder from Himachal Pradesh, had a brief international career. Dhawan featured in three ODIs and a solitary T20I for India, all in 2016, managing just two wickets across formats. Rishi, meanwhile, had a prolific domestic career, appearing in 134 List A and 135 T20 matches between 2007 and 2025. Notably, Dhawan captained Himachal Pradesh to the Vijay Hazare Trophy triumph in 2021–22.
Former Indian pacer Varun Aaron decided to step away from first-class cricket last year and subsequently retired from international cricket the following year. Having already retired from domestic cricket as well, Aaron won’t be eligible to play IPL cricket.
Varun Aaron concluded his career with 66 first-class matches for his state, Jharkhand, nine of which came at the international level for India. In nine Tests between 2011 and 2015, he picked up 18 wickets at an average of 52.61, showcasing raw pace but struggling with consistency and injuries.
In ODIs, Aaron featured in 9 matches, claiming 11 wickets at an average of 38.09 and an economy rate of 6.61. His best figures in the format were 3/24, but he couldn’t cement a long-term spot in the white-ball setup. He has now donned the role of a bowling coach for the 2019 IPL winners, Sunrisers Hyderabad, and will start his first stint in IPL 2026.