India's finest Test player Virat Kohli retired from Test cricket on May 12, 2025. His retirement caught many by surprise, particularly considering it occurred just few weeks before India's tour to England for a Test series. In a career spanning 14 years, Virat Kohli has played 123 Test matches. He amassed 9,230 runs at an average of 46.85. He also has a record of scoring 30 centuries and 31 half-centuries. He was just 770 runs away from completing 10,000 runs in this format of the game. James Anderson Praises Virat Kohli After Kohli’s retirement, England’s legendary fast bowler James Anderson praised him. Anderson called Kohli the “GOAT” of Test cricket and said that Indian cricket has a big gap to fill now. He also spoke of Rohit Sharma, who retired from Test cricket last month. Anderson stated that both Kohli and Rohit were India's top players. But he is optimistic about the future of India. He thinks the young players, particularly the IPL players, are talented and not afraid to take risks. Also Read | IPL 2025: Big Overseas Names Return, But Some May Miss Playoffs Anderson told Talksport Cricket: "Great players. There will be a new captain because Sharma has retired. Kohli, one of the greatest Test batters who's ever been. There are big shoes to fill there, but they've got a huge amount of talent in their squad. You just have to watch the IPL. They are bringing players into Test cricket from the IPL now who are just so attacking, aggressive, and fearless." When asked about who is the fiercest players out of Fab Four, Anderson said: "I think his ability to adapt to different conditions, he thinks with his technique all the time just to sort of make sure he is ready for everything that's thrown on him. But I think the fiercest competitor out of those four is definitely Kohli. The battles we had were incredible, he is the sort of guy you wanted to gain inks above with on the field. He really stood his ground and is obviously a fantastic player as well." Anderson shared a popular on-field rivalry with Kohli. He sent Kohli back to the pavilion 7 times in Test cricket, the highest number along with Australia's spinner Nathan Lyon. Watch the video here: ā "The fiercest competitor out of those 4 is definitely Kohli."šŖ "The battles we had were incredible. He really stood his ground & a fantastic player."Jimmy Anderson pays tribute to Virat Kohli after his retirement from Test Cricket ššŗ WATCH: https://t.co/BSsp9pjfyP pic.twitter.com/U3gvXKAucs — talkSPORT Cricket (@Cricket_TS) May 13, 2025 India's Test Team Undergoes Huge Overhaul Since Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma are retired now, Team India is undergoing a huge overhaul. "There are no actual replacements for these two superstars," former India selector and current Delhi coach Sarandeep Singh stated. He said both Rohit and Kohli were match winners who played with tremendous passion and were highly consistent. Sarandeep further said that India will now have to rely on new players stepping up and assuming responsibility in the longer version of the game.