- May 12, 2025
He Roared, He Raged, He Reigned – Virat Kohli’s Test Legacy Echoes Beyond Numbers – News18
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As Kohli bids farewell to Tests, Maya Angelou’s words ring true: ‘… people will forget what you said, what you did, but will never forget how you made them feel’.
Virat Kohli has called time on his Test career. (Image: AFP)
It was quite strange how one of the most vocal, energetic, and lively Test cricketers of our time quietly bowed out from the format he loved the most. Taking a final few steps while approaching the 22-yard strip for his last innings, he soaked in the atmosphere and the applause from his teammates, opponents, and the crowd alike. A gentle tread off the field, knowing it would be the final time he wore whites for India. Plenty of emotional faces. A teardrop somewhere. A guard of honour. A heartfelt speech. Nothing was meant to be. Well, at least we can dream.
Kohli has bid goodbye to a glorious Test career with a crisp announcement on social media that encapsulated his love for the format. His career was dotted with runs—countless singles, doubles, triples, fours, and sixes. Some centuries, a few records, and dozens of priceless moments.
His career began with plenty of promise, and his peak raised hopes of unheard-of heights a player (read Kohli) could scale. But when it appeared Kohli had become invincible, a stunning slump followed, which felt frustrating, culminating in a quiet goodbye. Regrets? Maybe. Joy? Boundless.
Threatening to rewrite the record books at one stage, Kohli finishes his Test career having come frustratingly close to breaching 10,000 runs—a milestone considered an indelible mark of batting greatness. Two of his three peers, part of the ‘Fab-Four’, have already achieved this distinction. Kohli and his fans must live with this fact now. There was a time when he was the undisputed leader of this club based on pure numbers. But not anymore, with others having caught up and taken the lead.
But judging Kohli’s Test career by numbers alone would be a disservice to his legacy. Alongside what he did with the bat, it was what he made his teammates and the fans feel that should be counted in equal measure. His mere presence on the field had the capacity to electrify even the deadest of phases. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say his impact on cricket culture in India is equal, if not greater, than the legendary Sachin Tendulkar.
Though he never proclaimed it, Kohli, through his sheer desire to excel in red-ball cricket and repeatedly expressing it, made Test cricket ‘sexy’—much like Shane Warne, who is widely credited with reviving the art of leg-spin bowling. This shouldn’t be interpreted as a claim that Kohli single-handedly raised the profile of the format in India. In an era when the stars of tomorrow are increasingly inclined to chase the riches of T20 cricket, Kohli’s public declaration of his love for Tests was refreshing. And it surely would have left an impact on those idolising him.
Though Kohli had the talent to dominate, it was his determination and ironclad will to excel and consistently learning from failures that made him one of the only 14 Indians to have appeared in 100 or more Tests.
His work ethic and focus on the team’s success, rather than individual glory, were other aspects that added to Kohli’s charm. And he was ever-ready for a fight with opponents and even the crowd. Some of these were responses to being provoked. Him showing the unforgiving Sydney crowd the finger in 2012 comes to mind. However, the fights he got involved in weren’t always his own. At times, he jumped in to back his teammates. A team man.
To those who grew up on a heavy diet of the gentleman’s approach to the game, personified by Tendulkar, Dravid, Kumble, and Laxman, Kohli’s swagger came as a stunning surprise. Though he too grew up watching and idolising these legends, Kohli never shunned his individuality. He played the game hard. He went after his opponents harder, responding in kind when provoked. At home, he was loathed and loved in the same breath for his aggression and unabashedness. The Australians, even though often at the receiving end of his exploits, admitted that he exhibited their traits, embracing him as one of their own.
As his career grew, Kohli, from being branded a brat, started showing signs of a statesman. Asking the crowd not to boo Steve Smith (2019 World Cup) and Naveen-ul-Haq (2023 World Cup) exemplified his maturity. Some of the opponents who, at one stage, hated his guts, became fast friends. The IPL helped bridge the gap, as overseas players began learning the difference between Kohli the person and Kohli the fierce opponent.
As Kohli bids goodbye to Test cricket, this famous quote from American poet Maya Angelou seems a proper fit for the batting superstar: “…people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”
Kohli’s legacy in Test cricket is much more than just a few numbers. It’s his relentless drive to succeed and win even at the cost of individual glory.
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