From setback to comeback: Kohli's Test legacy in England

Virat Kohli, arguably one of the greatest all-format batsmen, announced his retirement from Test cricket on Monday, marking the end of an era.

The former Indian captain turned up in 123 Tests for India, scoring 9,230 runs with 30 hundreds at an average of 46.85.

The 36-year-old has had a Test career that many could only dream of; yet, the highest highs in his career were also accompanied by some painful lows.

One such story is that of Virat's horrendous England tour of 2014, and how he turned it all around when he went back there in 2018.

The nightmare of 2014

Going into the England series in 2014, Kohli had already made a name for himself as a prodigious talent on the path to greatness.

The then-24-year-old had the weight and expectations of the nation on his shoulders as the MS Dhoni-led Indian team headed to England for the Pataudi trophy.

However, the series turned into a nightmare for Kohli. The English quicks had found a chink in the armour of the King and exploited it to the fullest. James Anderson, in particular, picked Kohli's wicket 4 times during the series.

Kohli registered scores of 1, 8, 25, 0, 39, 28, 0, 7, 6 and 20 in the five Tests in England, averaging 13.50 in 10 innings, which remains his lowest average in a Test season.

In a conversation with former England player Mark Nicholas on his podcast (Not Just Cricket), Kohli later conceded that he battled depression during the series. “...it’s not a great feeling to wake up knowing that you won’t be able to score runs, and I think all batsmen have felt that at some stage that you are not in control of anything at all,” he recalled.

“You just don’t understand how to get over it. That was a phase when I literally couldn’t do anything to overturn things...I felt like I was the loneliest guy in the world,” he added.

In another interview, Kohli said that during that phase in his career, he treated every overseas tour like an engineering exam that he somehow had to pass to show everyone that he could thrive at the top level.

Post the England tour, and with the Border-Gavaskar Trophy soon to start in Australia, Kohli said that he headed to Bombay, where he spoke to his idol Sachin, asking him for advice.

He then headed to Australia, where he had a magnificent series, and mid-way through it, picked up the mantle of Test captain from his predecessor, Dhoni.

Kohli left Australia with 692 runs in 8 innings, with an average of 86.50, marking the beginning of the Kohli era in Indian cricket.

Redemption in 2018

Skipper Kohli returned to England in 2018 with vengeance on his mind.

Putting the demons of the past behind him, Kohli scored 149 off 225 in the first innings of the first Test, which is regarded as one of his greatest knocks.

Though India won only one match and lost the series 4-1, King Kohli racked up 593 runs in 10 innings at an average of 59.30, getting 2 tons and 3 fifties in the series overall.

Through the series, he put to bed any doubts that his critics had and took the England-shaped chip off his shoulders.

Aiming to climb Mt England in 2021

Kohli returned once more in 2021, now with a team built by him that was capable of beating anyone, anywhere.

The first Test at Trent Bridge saw a rain-affected match being drawn.

Arguably one of Kohli's greatest matches as a skipper was Lord's 2021, the second Test, where he famously roused his team before England's second innings by saying, "For 60 overs they should feel hell out there."

India scripted a famous win that day, bowling out England, who needed 272 runs to win, for just 120 runs in 52.5 overs.

With this team, Kohli almost scripted history, having led the series 2-1 going into the final Test of the 5-match series before the global pandemic thwarted him. The final Test was postponed to the next year, by which time, Kohli had handed over the captaincy to Rohit Sharma.

While he played the final Test in 2022 under Jasprit Bumrah, India lost the match and drew the series.

Overall, Kohli scored 1,096 runs in 33 innings in England, at an average of 51.91.

The England tours stand testament to the fact that Kohli leaves behind a legacy of resilience, hard work and belief that one can come back from any setback.