Test cricket farewells one of its most influential figures with the retirement of all-time Indian great Virat Kohli

Test cricket will miss Virat Kohli for many reasons. The showman, the artist and street fighter all rolled into one irresistible package, writes Robert Craddock.

Virat Kohli has announced his retirement from Test cricket. Picture: Santanu Banik/Speed Media/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

INDIAN great Virat Kohli has announced his retirement from Test cricket, ending a career which made him one of the most influential figures in the game’s history.

Kohli, the code’s first social media superstar, will be missed by the game for many reasons, not the least being his love for the five day game which ensured it would never die on his watch.

“It’s been 14 years since I first wore the baggy blue in Test cricket,‘’ Kohli said in a statement.

“Honestly, I never imagined the journey this format would take me on. It’s tested me, shaped me, and taught me lessons I’ll carry for life.

“There’s something deeply personal about playing in whites. The quiet grind, the long days, the small moments that no one sees but that stay with you forever.

“As I step away from this format, it’s not easy — but it feels right. I’ve given it everything I had, and it’s given me back so much more than I could’ve hoped for.

“I’m walking away with a heart full of gratitude — for the game, for the people I shared the field with, and for every single person who made me feel seen along the way.

“I’ll always look back at my Test career with a smile.‘’

Kohli greets fans after his highest Test score of 254 not out in 2019 against South Africa. Picture: Punit Paranjpe / AFP

In a world full of free-spirited techniques of all sorts of whacky flavours Kohli proved that orthodoxy still had its place.

The world’s best all-format player, he could score as fast as most without ever looking off-balance or technically compromised.

Steve Waugh once told his son Austin, “if you only watch one player for tips on how to bat, watch Virat.‘’

Before he arrived, India’s players were never known for their specialist diets or fitness levels before he set the example by counting every calorie and becoming a gym warrior.

Kohli first came to Australia as a slightly chubby academy youngster visiting Brisbane and it started a love affair with this country that never died.

He scored seven centuries from just 18 Tests in Australia including some of his greatest innings.

All up he managed 9230 Test runs at 46.85, an average which does not do him justice.

Kohli’s final Test match century in Perth during Australia’s most recent summer against India. Picture: Paul Kane - CA/Cricket Australia via Getty Images

Seven years ago he was averaging around 55 but his eye went and a steady decline over the last few years was, at times, painful to watch.

The more he tried to eradicate his fatal nibbles outside off stump the more they undermined his game.

The son of a criminal lawyer, he was articulate, charming and combative.

Australia saw all sides of him, from a young firebrand, to a more steady senior player prone to occasional throwback moments of hotheadedness such as the time he crudely shouldered Sam Konstas in this season’s Boxing Day Test.

Such was his incredible profile that, in Indian cricket broadcasts, a specialist camera followed his every move.

Test cricket will miss him, the showman, the artist and street fighter all rolled into one irresistible package.

Originally published as Test cricket farewells one of its most influential figures with the retirement of all-time Indian great Virat Kohli