Mumbai: Indian cricket icon Virat Kohli announced his retirement from Test cricket on Monday, bringing an end to a remarkable chapter in the sport that redefined India’s dominance in red-ball cricket.

The star batter took to social media to announce his decision. He stated that stepping away from this format of the game is not easy but “it feels right”.

“I have given it everything I had, and it’s given me back so much more than I could have hoped for,” the 36-year-old said.

Kohli shared that he will always look back at this test career with a smile. He spoke of his deep connection to the traditional format, stating,” There’s something deeply personal about playing in whites. The quiet grind, the long days, the small moments that no one sees but that stay with you forever.”

He added: "I’m walking away with a heart full of gratitude — for the game, for the people I shared the field with, and for every single person who made me feel seen along the way."

Kohli has played 210 Test innings, amassing 9,230 runs at an impressive average of over 45. His tally includes 30 centuries and 31 fifties, cementing his legacy as of the finest Test cricketers the sport has seen.

He took over the Test captaincy from MS Dhoni in 2014, embarking on an illustrious eight-year tenure that reshaped India’s approach to the longest format. Under his leadership, India registered 40 wins in 68 Tests — the most by any Indian captain in history.

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New Delhi: The Union Ministry of Culture allegedly spent Rs 76.13 lakh on print advertisements marking the 100-year celebrations of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), according to a Right to Information (RTI) reply.

The information was sought by RTI activist Ajay Basudev Bose, who filed an application seeking details on expenditure incurred by the ministry for advertisements commemorating the RSS centenary.

Bose shared a picture of the reply from the ministry on his official ‘X’ handle.

“It is informed that an amount of Rs 76,13,129 has been spent on advertisement given in various print media by the Ministry of Culture on the occasion of the completion of 100 years of RSS,” the government’s reply stated.

Bose questioned the expenditure in the post X, “when Everyone knows RSS is Not Registered & Does not Pay any Tax is it justified to spend Tax Payers Money on such Private event??”

Reacting to the development, Karnataka’s IT-BT and Panchayat Raj Minister Priyank Kharge also criticised the spending.

In a post on X, he asked why public money was being used for what he described as a “private ideological project.”

"Modi Sarkar spent Rs 76,13,129 of public money on newspaper advertisements to celebrate 100 years of the RSS. Why is Government spending taxpayers money on an unregistered, non-tax-paying organisation to celebrate their centenary?," he added. 

According to reports, the RSS describes itself as a volunteer-based organisation and has stated that it functions as a body of individuals rather than a registered entity.

Founded by Keshav Baliram Hedgewar in 1925, the organisation is marking its centenary year beginning from Vijaydashami in 2025, with the milestone observed on October 2.