Virat Kohli - A Rich Legacy
Editor-in-Chief of indiacommentary.com. Current Affairs analyst and political commentator.
View all posts by this Author
By Sunil Garodia
First publised on 2025-05-13 14:49:35
About the Author
Editor-in-Chief of indiacommentary.com. Current Affairs analyst and political commentator.
View all posts by this Author
Virat Kohli, the modern maestro, has hung up his Test boots. Vijay Merchant, and later Sunil Gavaskar, said they retired when people asked why and not when. Virat Kohli, arguably the finest of his generation, has also chosen to retire from Tests even as the BCCI was pursuing him to change his mind. Having served Indian cricket with his heart and soul for the last 14 years, Kohli called it a day in the longest format of the game just before the team was to be announced for the England tour.
Numbers, though awesome, do not tell the whole story of the impact Virat Kohli made on Indian cricket. For the record, he played 123 Tests to score 9230 runs at an average of 46.85. In the process, he scored 30 centuries and 31 fifties and guided India to many famous victories. As batsman, when in full flow, he was incomparable. The fierce cover drive and the lofted on-drive bore the stamp of a champion. Most bowlers respected him and prized his wicket.
As captain, his record is impressive. Kohli is the only player to have captained India in 68 Test matches. Out of these, with 40 wins, 17 defeats and 11 draws, he boasts a remarkable win percentage of 58.82 percent, making him India's most successful Test captain. He brought aggression and hands-on approach to his leadership and was instrumental in carrying forward the legacy of Sourav Ganguly. The best tribute to this approach was paid by Greg Chappell who called Kohli the most Australian non-Australian he had ever seen.
