If Test cricket were a fire, Virat Kohli was its fuel.
From screaming through covers with blood-red passion to grinding out runs under grey skies on seaming decks, Kohli made us fall in love with whites again. And now, in a moment that stunned the cricketing world, the former Indian captain has chosen to retire from Test cricket — 770 runs shy of the mythical 10,000-run mark. For many, it came too soon. For true cricket lovers? It came with heartbreak, yes — but also with immense respect.
Because let’s be honest: Virat Kohli has walked away like a king. On his terms. Fire intact. Head held high.
More Than Just Stats: The Spirit of Kohli
Numbers can’t encapsulate what Kohli brought to Test cricket.
Sure, the 8,230 runs in 113 Tests, the 27 centuries, the multiple series wins abroad – they’re all impressive. But what really stands out is the aura. The sheer pride with which he spoke about the longest format when the world was running toward T20s. Kohli didn’t just play Test cricket – he waged war in whites.
And that’s what makes this retirement tough to digest for so many. It wasn’t just the runs. It was the image of Kohli, veins popping, eyes blazing, shouting in the slips or kissing the badge after a hundred. That’s gone now. No more spine-tingling fist pumps at third slip after a Jasprit Bumrah peach. No more Kohli cover drives in whites.
But here’s the thing: he didn’t quit the game — he beat it to the punch. He left before the selectors or critics could show him the door.
And for a player of his stature, that’s exactly how it should be.
770 Runs Short: Who Cares?
Yes, he was just 770 runs away from 10,000. A milestone that only a handful have ever touched. But ask yourself — would that number have changed what Virat Kohli meant to Indian cricket?
Absolutely not.
We don’t love Kohli because he might’ve hit 10k. We love him because he played every ball like it was a war cry. Because he celebrated a defensive block like others would a six. Because he made us believe that Test cricket still mattered.
He could’ve padded his stats. He could’ve hung around. But Kohli never was a stat-chaser — he was a statement-maker. And walking away like this, knowing he still had some cricket left in him, is a statement. One that says: “I choose to go while you still want more.”
The Decline Was Real… But So Was the Fight
Let’s not sugarcoat it — Kohli’s numbers in the last three years weren’t great. Since 2021, he averaged just 31. He went from being the second-best Test batter in the world (after Steve Smith) to falling behind Root, Williamson, and even newer batters like Marnus Labuschagne and Babar Azam.
In his last 10 Tests, he scored 382 runs at an average of 22.47. Against Australia earlier this year, he had just one shining hundred in Perth before falling apart in the rest of the series. The dismissals became predictable – poking at the fourth stump, edges flying to slip and gully, and the frustration on his face louder than any words.
But let’s be clear: this wasn’t a man giving up. This was a man trying everything. He even went back to play Ranji Trophy for Delhi — after 13 long years. He was reportedly prepared to play for India A, to prove himself again.
That’s not the attitude of someone who’s done. That’s the spirit of a warrior still trying to fight the tide.
A Gentle Push or a Calculated Call?
Did Kohli really choose this retirement completely on his own? Or was there a conversation behind closed doors?
Maybe both.
Reports say the BCCI had already been informed of his decision days before the public announcement. Others suggest selectors had warned him that failure in England might mean the unthinkable: being dropped. And let’s face it — seeing Virat Kohli dropped from a Test squad would’ve hurt fans far more than seeing him walk away.
So in that context, this was the perfect timing. India’s Test team is entering a new World Test Championship cycle. Rohit Sharma has already exited the format. With transition around the corner, Kohli chose dignity over dragging. That’s maturity. That’s self-awareness. That’s class.
Sunil Gavaskar summed it up beautifully: “Nobody wanted to see Kohli dropped. So he left with grace.”
The Legacy Lives On
Kohli didn’t just play Test cricket – he defined it for a generation.
Remember the Adelaide chase in 2014? His first match as Test captain, India nearly pulled off a record run-chase, and Kohli led with a sublime 141. He didn’t play for draws. He played to win. Always.
He took a middling Indian Test side and turned them into a force that won series in Australia, competed fiercely in England, and reached the WTC Final in 2021. Under him, India never backed down. That aggression? That fire? It became part of India’s DNA in Tests.
Even his farewell note was dripping with love: “I’ve given it everything I had, and it’s given me back so much more than I could’ve hoped for.”
He even coined the term “Baggy Blue” — a tribute to Australia’s “Baggy Green” — highlighting just how much pride he felt in representing India in whites. That’s not a cricketer talking. That’s a Test cricket romantic.
Could He Have Played More?
Yes. If we’re being brutally honest, Kohli probably had another season or two in him. Maybe not at peak level, but enough to be valuable — as a mentor, as a motivator, as the elder statesman guiding the next generation. He was still the fittest guy in the squad at 36. He still fielded like a teenager and trained like a man possessed.
But here’s where we salute him even more.
- He chose to leave before the decline overshadowed the legacy.
- He left before the whispers became headlines.
- He left before fans started asking “Why is he still here?”
No Fairy Tale Needed
Many greats wait too long. They fade under the burden of their own legacy. Kohli didn’t.
He roared until the very end. He fought for every run, every inch. And when it was time, he knew. That’s what makes him different. That’s why he’ll be remembered not just as a great Indian cricketer — but one of the last true gladiators of Test cricket.
The Final Word: Thank You, King Kohli
Test cricket didn’t just lose a batter — it lost its loudest heartbeat. Kohli’s legacy is more than hundreds and averages. It’s in the millions who picked up the red ball again. It’s in the kids who now dream of playing five-day cricket because they saw Virat Kohli scream with joy after a gritty fifty.
- He brought eyeballs back to whites.
- He brought fight back to India.
- He made us believe again.
And now, as he walks into the sunset of Test cricket, we salute him not with sorrow — but with gratitude.
Because this? This is how a king should go.
Bat raised. Fire blazing. On his own terms.
Thank you, Virat Kohli. Test cricket will miss you — dearly.
