Kohli leaves Virat Test legacy

Sunil Gavaskar, Sachin Tendulkar, Virat Kohli… For the past five decades, cricket fans in India have never been in doubt about who would anchor Indian cricket as one legend after the other retired. But with Kohli announcing his abrupt retirement from Test cricket today, a huge void has been left in the sport.

The 36-year-old, the most successful Indian Test captain with 40 wins in 68 Tests, called time on his 14-year-long career, having scored 9,230 runs in 123 Tests at an average of 46.8, including 30 centuries and 31 half-centuries.

“As I step away from this format, it’s not easy but it feels right… I will always look back at my Test career with a smile,” he said, indicating a sense of contentment and a feeling that his trademark aggression had abated somewhat.

Kohli, as a player and as a captain, led a fitness revolution in the team, ensuring every member had the stamina to compete consistently till the fifth day of a match. His brashness and aggression rubbed off on the team as they embarked on a journey to become the No. 1 Test side.

King Kohli, Chase Master, Run Machine, Captain Fearless… Over 14 years, fans bestowed him with many monikers, but through it all, Kohli symbolised aggression and an unrelenting intent to dominate his rivals on the field. His trademark cover drives, combative pulls and jaw-dropping back-foot punch drives were manifestations of his fearless approach.

Indian fans first glimpsed Kohli’s class when, as a young boy, he led the team to victory in the 2008 U19 World Cup. Three years later, the 22-year-old made his Test debut on the tour of West Indies, managing only 76 runs in the series. Then came the 2012 tour of Australia, where India was whitewashed, but Kohli shone with 300 runs at an average of 37.50, including a memorable century in Adelaide.

Kohli returned to Australia in 2014-15, leading the side for the first time after MS Dhoni’s mid-series retirement, and scored 692 runs (averaging 86.50) with four centuries. The highest point of his career came in 2018-19 when he captained India to their first-ever Test series win in Australia. Though his subsequent tours were less fruitful, by then, Kohli had already gotten under the skin of the Australian team and their fans.

Much of Kohli’s aura in international cricket stems from his exploits in Australia, 1,542 runs in 15 Tests at an average of 46.72, including seven hundreds and four fifties. However, his last outing in Australia during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy turned out to be his worst, with just 190 runs in nine innings, a decisive moment that likely influenced his retirement decision.

Kohli hit his peak as a batsman in 2014, scoring four centuries against Australia, followed by six double tons in 2016-17 and rising to become the No. 1 Test batter in 2018. If Gavaskar symbolised doggedness and Tendulkar embodied class, Kohli’s batting was defined by calculated aggression. His fan following was such that millions of teenage cricket enthusiasts flocked to stadiums or turned on their TVs just to watch him bat. For many, Kohli’s dismissal meant it was time to switch off the TV and return to work.

Having already retired from T20Is and now from Test cricket, Kohli’s fans will have to wait for ODIs, which are now played sparingly. His weakness against the moving ball remained his nemesis till the end, with bowlers, especially England’s James Anderson, exploiting his vulnerability outside off-stump with a fourth-stump line.

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