LNP – ‘Give Kohli one more Test match to be sure he doesn’t belong in here’

Virat Kohli on Monday (12) confirmed that he is retiring from Test cricket after speculation of days. Following the retirement of his teammate Rohit Sharma last week, it was reported by Indian media that their other batting sensation was considering the possibility of hanging his boot at least from the longest format of cricket. 

Kohli left an emotional note on his social media on Monday confirming the decision. 

“It’s been 14 years since I first wore the baggy blue in Test cricket. 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. 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 posted on his Instagram. 

So, is he one of the best-ever in the Test format?

Kohli arguably is the greatest player of all-times in ODI cricket, but perhaps he didn’t reach the same levels on Test cricket. 

The right hander averaged 46.85 in 123 Test matches in what turned out to be a glorious career, but certainly had a tough start to his career in red-ball cricket. 

In his first year as a Test cricketer way back in 2011 Kohli only averaged 22.44 and batting at number 3 he could only average 38.73 in his second year which brought about uncertainty about his ability in longer format at least among some former Indian cricketers. 

As Kohli announced his retirement on Monday, one of Sanjay Manjrekar’s tweets from 2012 has been resurfacing on social media where he stated “I would give Virat one more Test just to be sure he doesn’t belong in here.”

However, after 14 years Manjrekar posted fairly different messages to the outgoing legend. 

“Biggest brand of modern cricket era who gave it all for cricket’s oldest format. Test cricket owes that debt to Virat Kohli,” he said on another tweet. 

His numbers in Test cricket may not come close to the brilliance of the other all-time great middle order batsmen such as Kumar Sangakkara, Brian Lara, Ricky Ponting or Jaques Kallis, but there is no doubt that under his captaincy Indian cricket reached different levels especially away from home.