Virat Kohli congratulates Michael Clarke for 'magnificent cricket journey'

COLOMBO: Lauding Michael Clarke's leadership, Indian Test captain Virat Kohli today congratulated the retiring Australian skipper for his "magnificent cricket journey" which would end with the fifth and final Ashes Test against England.

"Congratulations @MClarke23 on a magnificent cricket journey; a fine captain with numbers backing his records! Good Luck Mate," Kohli tweeted as he praised Clarke.

Clarke will bid adieu to international cricket after the fifth and final Ashes Test against England from August 20 -- a decision which was prompted by his team's 1-3 loss in the marquee series.

The 34-year-old, whose prolific career has been marred by injuries, announced his decision at the end of the fourth Test yesterday in Nottingham.

Clarke responded to Kohli's tweet by thanking the Indian, who is gearing up to lead the team in the Test series against Sri Lanka starting August 12.

"Thanks buddy. I wish you and the Indian team all the best for the future," tweeted the affable Australian.

Clarke was also congratulated for his fine career by senior Indian off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin.

"Congratulations to @MClarke23 on his wonderful career,u will go down as one of the finest leaders the game has seen.Good luck going forward," he tweeted.

Clarke's 114 Test appearances so far have yielded 8,628 runs at an impressive average of 49.30. He scored 7,981 runs in 245 ODIs at an average of 44.58.

Clarke retired from ODIs after leading Australia to a fifth World Cup title this year. Never too keen on the Twenty20s, Clarke quit the format back in 2010 after playing just 34 matches.