The 33-year-old first led his country in red-ball cricket temporarily during the winter tour of Australia in 2014 before he permanently took the reins from MS Dhoni at the end of the series.

During his tenure as India's test captain, Kohli helped them become the number one side in the ICC Test rankings and saw them finish runners-up in the World Test Championship Final last summer.

"I've done the job with absolute honesty and left nothing out there. Every thing has to come to a halt at some stage and for me as Test captain of India, it's now," Kohli said on Twitter.

The India batter relinquished the Twenty20 captaincy after the World Cup in November and was also replaced as one-day skipper by Rohit Sharma last month.

Kohli led India in 68 tests, winning 40 matches and losing 17.

More to follow.