Test cricket's greatest advocate bids adieu

Bengaluru: It would be a massive understatement to call this "the end of an era.” With Virat Kohli’s decision to retire from Test cricket -- delivered with quiet finality through an Instagram post on Monday -- a piece of the format’s soul has gone forever. Test cricket has not just lost a player; it has lost one of its most passionate custodians, someone who infused it with energy, character and relevance.

It wouldn't be out of place to say that Kohli reshaped the Test format. He was the catalyst for a cultural transformation within Indian cricket, particularly through his obsessive devotion to fitness. He wore it as a badge of honour. On the field, though polarising sometimes, his combative nature was electric. He didn’t just bring aggression, he turned it into a compelling art form - a spectacle that enthralled and annoyed in equal measure while his consistency across formats simultaneously cemented his position as the finest all-format batter of his generation.

But towering above all his individual feats is Kohli’s most defining contribution -- his elevation of Test cricket. In an age when the traditional format appeared to lose its appeal in the face of white-ball glamour, Kohli brought it roaring back into focus. The numbers, though underwhelming in the twilight of his Test career, capture only a small part of the impact he made. His relentless drive and unwavering commitment to the red-ball game gave it a new identity.

Before he conquered the Test arena, Kohli had already built his name as a force in ODIs. But it was his burning desire to leave a mark in the oldest format that played a big part in reinvigorating it. He brought unbridled passion, boundless energy and competitive edge to Tests that drew fans back to the long form. His relentless drive with overseas success -- particularly in the SENA countries (South Africa, England, New Zealand, and Australia) not only earned India historic wins but also rekindled global interest in high-quality Test cricket. Whether one admired him or disapproved of his on-field theatrics, one simply couldn’t ignore him. Kohli commanded undivided attention.

Yet, in the early years, not many could see the potential that would light up Test arenas across the world. After India’s debacle in the second Test of the 2011–12 tour of Australia, a former cricketer-turned-commentator scoffed on social media, suggesting Kohli didn’t belong at the Test level. The team management stood by him, and he was given a chance in the third Test in Perth. Kohli responded with scores of 44 and 75 -- the highest by an Indian in both innings. Then came the fourth Test in Adelaide, where he came up with a brilliant 116 -- his maiden and the first of seven Test hundreds Down Under. Though India lost both matches, a legend had been born.

Over the next seven years, Kohli scripted a glorious chapter for himself in Test cricket, piling up runs with remarkable consistency. In an era that also boasted the likes of Steve Smith, Kane Williamson and Joe Root, Kohli distinguished himself with his unparalleled success across all formats. While others focused on the red ball, he did it all without ever letting his love for Test cricket diminish. It was the format.

Former India pacer Irfan Pathan captured this sentiment best in a congratulatory message posted on X: “Virat Kohli, as captain, you didn’t just win matches—you changed mindsets. You made fitness, aggression, and pride in whites the new standard.”

In the process of changing the mindsets of Indian cricketers, Kohli also changed the outlook of countries like Australia and England towards India as a travelling side.

Very early in his captaincy, Kohli realised to succeed abroad, he needed to raise a fast-bowling unit that was not just skillful but fit enough to bowl long and multiple spells in a single day without compromising the pace. He presided over India's first-ever Test series win in Australia and came close to ending their one-and-a-half-decade drought in England where India took a 2-1 lead before the fifth Test was postponed due to Covid-19 in 2022. By the time he returned to England to complete the series, he was no longer the captain. 

While as captain, he enhanced India's status as dangerous travellers, his pursuit for excellence as a batter made him one of the more feared batters. Having endured a nightmare of a series on England's tour in 2014, when he could manage only 39 runs in 10 innings, he returned to the Old Blighty to conquer the demons, amassing 593 runs -- a good 244 runs more than the second-placed Jos Buttler (349) among top run-makers. It was a testament to his resilience and unrelenting drive.

It's a pity that for someone, who seemingly had exorcised the ghosts in the corridor of uncertainty, his last days in Test cricket were undone as the same shortcoming crept in. Long ago, Kohli had expressed his desire to have 10,000 Test runs against his name. Had his form not taken a massive nosedive post 2019, he could well have been sitting on Mount 10K. But he bid farewell 770 runs short of that target. He may feel that void for some time, but he can be mighty proud of the fact that he served Test cricket like few did. He championed its cause and left it stronger than he found it.

For that, Test cricket owes him a debt of gratitude. And so do all of us who love the format.