Nearly a month after retiring from Test cricket, Virat Kohli opened up about his love for the longest format, while urging the next generation to pursue success in the red-ball format, even in a new era where white-ball cricket has claimed a bigger foothold in the game.

Rating Test cricket “five levels” above other formats, Kohli, whose 18-year wait with the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) for an Indian Premier League (IPL) title finally ended Tuesday, said the IPL win would certainly go down as one of the highlights of his long career but it still remained below Test success.

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“This moment (the IPL win) is right up there with the best moments I’ve had in my career, but it still marks five levels under Test cricket. That’s how much I value Test cricket. That’s how much I love Test cricket,” the 36-year-old told the host broadcaster amid all the euphoria around RCB’s six-run win over Punjab Kings in the IPL 2025 final at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.

On top of his 9230 runs at 46.85 in a revered career in whites, Kohli also featured in two World Test Championship Finals across the first two cycles of the competition. He then played a key role in India’s third WTC campaign, finishing third behind South Africa and Australia, who meet at Lord’s for the 2025 World Test Championship Final.

Reiterating his deep respect for the longest format, Kohli urged youngsters to embrace Test cricket for global recognition.

“I would just urge youngsters coming through to treat that format with respect. If you perform in Test cricket, you walk around anywhere in the world, people look you in the eye, shake your hand, and say, ‘Well done, you played the game really well.’

“If you want to earn respect in world cricket all over, take up Test cricket, give your heart and soul to it and earn the respect from legends,” he said.

Kohli bowed out of Test cricket with 30 centuries, and India won 40 times in the 68 matches he captained, making him the most successful skipper for his country in the format.

Given RCB my youth, my prime, and my experience

Reflecting on his journey with RCB ever since the inception of the IPL in 2008, Kohli said winning the IPL with the franchise has been a long-cherished dream, while reiterating his loyalty to the franchise.

“I’ve given this team my youth, my prime, and my experience, and I’ve tried to win this every season, and I give it everything I have. To finally have this moment come, it’s an unbelievable feeling. I never thought this day would come,” he said.

“I’ve given everything that I had for the last 18 years. I’ve stayed loyal to this team, no matter what, and I always dreamt of winning it with them. And this is far more special than winning it with anyone else because my heart is with Bengaluru, my soul is with Bengaluru.

“And as I said before, this is the team I’m going to play for till the last day that I play the IPL,” he added.

Hailing RCB’s resilience and management’s backing throughout the campaign, Kohli said, “This group of players, this management — they’ve been outstanding. We had the right balance and confidence in our squad, even when many questioned our tactics. This victory belongs to every player, every family member, and everyone who stood behind us.”

He also thanked the franchise’s loyal supporters, who also waited for more than a decade and a half for that moment. “This IPL win is as much for the fans as it is for the team.”