Indian Test captain Virat Kohli has ended a tumultuous tour of South Africa by announcing his resignation as skipper of the team he has led for the last seven years.

It was only after the T20 World Cup in 2021 that Kohli stood down from captaining India's white ball teams, and now, his tenure in charge of the national side is complete.

It comes after India were beaten 2-1 in a Test series in South Africa, which finished in controversial circumstances after Kohli and his teammates were involved in accusations of DRS manipulation at South African host broadcaster, SuperSport.

It's understood Kohli will continue playing in the team moving forward, with the skipper releasing a statement via his twitter on Saturday evening (AEDT).

"It's been 7 years of hard work, toil and relentless perseverance everyday to take this team in the right direction," Kohli wrote.

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

Kohli has been one of the best captains in world cricket over the tenure, taking India to 40 wins from 68 Tests in charge. He is fourth in the list of captains with the most Test victories.

A replacement for Kohli is yet to be confirmed, however, the natural progression would likely see Ajinkya Rahane move from vice-captain to the top of the chain for India.

The BCCI have just over a month to confirm their decision, with a home series against Sri Lanka on the horizon.