It is very rare for batters to leave the sport with a batting average over 50 in a single format, but Virat Kohli nearly did it in all three.
The Indian great retired from Tests on May 12, 2025, with an average of 46.85 and from T20Is in June 2024 with an average of 48.69. He continues to play ODIs, where he averages a remarkable 57.88.
However, it wasn't always like this, at least in T20Is, where he averaged over 50 until a month before his retirement. His poor outing during the T20 World Cup 2024, barring the 76 in the Final, led to a drop in his numbers.
Before the T20 World Cup, he averaged 51.75 in T20Is but, having scored just 151 runs in eight matches at 18.87, his T20I career average fell to 48.69.
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As for Tests, he averaged 53.41 in 147 innings until 2020, but post the COVID period, his shocking downfall in the biggest format began. Since 2020, he scored 1912 runs at 31.86 in 63 innings, bringing his career average down further.
While Kohli wasn't able to leave cricket with the special milestone, The Sporting News explores if any batter in history has averaged 50+ in all formats - ODIs, T20Is and Tests.
Has any batter retired with a 50-plus average in all formats - ODI, Tests and T20Is?
No. As of 2025, no batter has achieved this feat. Kohli arguably came the closest and had the best chance to become the first ever to retire with a 50+ average in all three formats.
However, Kohli's end in Tests and T20Is were a relative disappointment. While he may not have consciously played with this target in mind, missing the milestone appears to be a significant miss; a feat such as this would have been a reminder of a rare excellence across formats.
| Format | Batting Average |
|---|---|
| Tests | 46.85 |
| ODIs | 57.88* |
| T20Is | 48.69 |
* Kohli has not retired from ODIs yet
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Has any player retired with 50+ averages in both Tests and ODIs?
[Since most cricketers in the early 2000s and eras before that haven't played T20 cricket, this appears to be a fairer comparison.]
Yes - AB de Villiers is the only batter in cricket history who has averaged over 50 in both Tests and ODIs at the end of his career. The South African was one of the most consistent batters in the two formats, who continued to display a balance of explosive and classical batting for the Proteas until his retirement in 2018.
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While de Villiers was never able to crack the T20I format in the international scene, he boasts an exceptional record in the other two formats.
However, outside T20 internationals, he was a dominant T20 player, notably in his time with the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the Indian Premier League (IPL).
| Format | Batting Average |
|---|---|
| Tests | 50.66 |
| ODIs | 53.50 |
| T20Is | 26.12 |
Kohli may have fallen short of achieving one of the rarest milestones in cricket, but his legacy and impact on the game as one of the greatest cricketers in the sport’s history are beyond question.