Virat Kohli Retires From Test Cricket
Virat Kohli has retired from Test cricket after an illustrious 14-year career spanning 123 Tests. He averaged 46.85 and hit 30 centuries.
On Monday, confirmation came that Kohli has retired from Test cricket. The past tense has to be used when describing his playing career in the format he helped keep afloat.
Kohli's unwavering passion for the traditions of Test cricket has been the format's best advertisement. He ensured a slew of his younger fans weaned on T20 have become Test cricket converts.
Kohli arrived right when social media was taking off and he's been by far the biggest star of this era. His legendary predecessor Sachin Tendulkar and Australian maverick Shane Warne were similarly box office.
Kohli was a magnet for fans determined to follow his every move. Being married to a Bollywood star only added to the celebrity and aura. He was a thankless gig for marketers when Virat Kohli was playing in a format.
The game has never had a more transcendent figure. Kohli has been cricket's Elvis or The Beatles. Numbers don’t do him justice. There are batters with better stats, but Kohli's impact on the game is undeniable.
Even training sessions he didn’t attend were manic. Before the first Test in Perth against Australia last November, which ended up being Kohli’s final Test series, India resorted to the rather drastic measure of closing off their training sessions to the public.
It led to the bizarre sight of fans walking around with ladders in an effort to get a glimpse. They weren’t the only ones. Desperate photographers, with their bosses’ demands ringing in their ears, were also equipped.
But some of them weren’t au fait with cricket and had no idea who Kohli was. So they resorted to asking the throng of miffed Indian fans astonished that someone really had no clue about their hero, arguably the most famous person in the world’s most populated country.
Kohli was nowhere to be sighted, with the veteran skipping India’s first training session of a gruelling tour. While the cameramen and scribes eventually gave up as their deadlines loomed, hardy fans stayed, still believing Kohli might just magically appear right at the very end.
The traditional format, played in white attire and stretching five days, has for some time faced major question marks over its future amid declining popularity and relevance in pockets of the world. But Kohli's retirement marks the end of an era for Test cricket.
Kohli's impact on the game will be felt for years to come. His passion and dedication to the sport have inspired a generation of cricketers. As the news of his retirement spreads, fans around the world are mourning the loss of a true great.
The Indian team will have to adapt to life without Kohli, but his legacy will live on. He has left an indelible mark on the game, and his retirement will be remembered as a significant moment in cricket history.
Kohli's retirement is a reminder that all good things must come to an end. But his impact on the game will never be forgotten. He has been a true ambassador for Test cricket, and his passion and dedication will be missed by fans around the world.