Virat Kohli retired from Test cricket with immediate effect. While many wanted Kohli to at least play the England series, some wished that he would retire in Delhi in front of his home ground as his dream of 10,000 Test runs remained unfulfilled.
Virat Kohli announced his retirement from Tests at 9,230 runs in 123 Test matches at an average of 46.85, including 30 centuries and 31 fifties. Kohli was a beast at his peak in 2016-2018 in the format as a captain and as a batter but the last five years, when his average dropped to 30.72, did leave a sour taste in the mouth. It is a career of what could have been, given the cricket royalty he is and even he would be disappointed that he finished before achieving his dream of 10,000 runs in Test cricket.
After Kohli called it a day in red-ball cricket, his 12-year-old interview with AajTak has gone viral where he mentioned that achieving 10k runs in Tests was his main goal when asked about where his inclination was amid the boom of T20 cricket.
“Still, my aim is to score 10,000 runs in Test cricket. To become a successful Test cricketer has always been my aim,” Kohli had said. Kohli may not be able to achieve that dream, but he was successful in becoming a generation’s inspiration with his game and work ethic as most of the reactions which poured in on Monday asked why now? Several athletes will tell you, that’s the best time to call it off.
“My only attempt is not to be remembered as an ordinary player. When I finish my career, I don’t want to see people saying, Yeah, there was a player named Virat’. From childhood, my only aim has been to be able to inspire the next generation, players who are coming up can say ‘I want to be like him’,” Kohli further said.
In a 148-word-long statement, Kohli mentioned that the decision wasn’t easy but it felt right for him shutting the shop at this moment. With no Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma for the upcoming England tour, it will be a huge challenge for Jasprit Bumrah, Shubman Gill, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant and Co to settle into the new normal, an era beyond Kohli and Rohit, and then be able to perform in one of the toughest places to play Test cricket.
