Virat Kohli: The Game Dominator

MANY HAVE ASKED ME in the last few days where I rank Virat Kohli as a Test match bat­ter? Each time I have been asked this question, I have tried to flip it round. For me, the question doesn’t really do justice to Virat Kohli the Test match player. In my book, the question should rather be, “Where do you place Virat Kohli in terms of his impact on red-ball cricket?”

My answer to this revised question is simple—right at the very top and only second to Sachin Tendulkar. Let me explain in some detail. As a batter, Kohli is a generational great, no doubt. But there are others like him as well. Steve Smith, for example, is an absolute champion of the red-ball game. England’s Joe Root is as good, if not better, than Kohli if we consider his red-ball form in the last few years. Kane Williamson, too, comes close. But when you consider impact and brand, there is just no parallel. Root or Smith played the sport while Kohli played and marketed it as well. He was the Pied Piper of Test cricket not because he was a great play­er, but also because he was the greatest ambas­sador and showman.

When Tendulkar was taking control of global cricket, Test cricket was not under threat from the countless franchise-based leagues now played across the world. Test cricket was unrivalled and Tendulkar presided over it like a colossus. The Kohli era was different. At a time when Kohli made his debut against the West Indies in 2011, IPL had already captured fan imagination in India. India had won the inaugural T20 World Cup and millions of dollars had been invested in the shortest form of the sport. The lure of IPL was a threat and Kohli had to make sure that the next-generation player was as keen on playing red-ball cricket as he once was. That’s where his greatness lies. As Tendulkar was batting for India each time he stepped out into the middle, Kohli was also batting for cricket’s greatest format each time he stepped out in whites.

Why would a 17-year-old who can hit a few sixes ever want to play red-ball cricket? All he needs to do is get better at playing the big hits, for he is then assured a few crores every year from IPL or any other franchise league in the world. Test cricket would never pay him half as much, and in turn, he’d have to be out there on the field for five straight days battling heat and physical exhaustion. Why would anyone want to do that unless there is extreme pas­sion? That’s where Kohli was key. Each time Test cricket was faced with a challenge, Kohli came to its rescue. Here was cricket’s greatest brand who was prioritising the red-ball for­mat. He was the inspiration for thousands to play the sport and grow up loving Test cricket. With his retirement, the cushion for Test cricket is gone and that’s where the alarm stems from.

When I look around the world, I don’t see anyone come close to Kohli in terms of pub­lic appeal. Root can indeed score a few more hundreds but never has he played with half the pressure that Kohli has. Kohli did not just score runs, he also inspired the corporates to invest in the sport, the broadcasters to tele­cast it and the fans to come and watch it in the stadium. He was the greatest ambassador for Test cricket, and maybe, that’s why the sport is poorer.

Did he still have cricket left and could he have rediscovered himself one more time? Was he physically up to it and did he still have the hunger? The truth is he looked a pale shadow of his past self in Australia. Except the Perth hundred, his last in Test cricket, Kohli wasn’t in good form and his dismissals had become routine. All the bowler needed to do was pitch the ball outside the off stump and sooner than later, he’d edge one behind the stumps. Not that he wasn’t aware of this weakness. And yet he wasn’t able to control it. His self-admonishment after getting out to Scott Boland in Sydney in the second innings, his last effort in international Test cricket, is proof. But then form is temporary and class is permanent. He still could work the hardest and did so during the Champions Trophy. He got back to form to make a telling contribution for India and then batted like a dream in IPL.

With Kohli, there was always a chance. Effort and talent combined, he could always defy the odds. And the truth is he was very much in India’s scheme of things for the England series. No one ever wanted to drop him. Had he wanted to continue, his selection for the tour was a formality. In fact, with Rohit Shama gone, BCCI was keen for Kohli to stay on and guide the new captain. Someone like Krish Srikkanth even went on to suggest that Kohli should have been asked to lead and then pass on the baton to Shubman Gill at the end of the tour.

In sum, Kohli goes on his own terms. The call is his, and entirely his. For whatev­er reason, he made up his mind and there was never any intention to reconsider. Can India overcome this void in England and find a suitable replacement? The short answer is impossible. There can never be a second Virat Kohli and these are big boots to fill. Who will the broadcaster advertise the series with? Who will the sponsors invest in? Who will the fans turn up to watch? These are the key questions that are doing the rounds at the moment. For Virat, none of these things matter anymore. He can look back at 14 fantastic years in whites and feel very pleased with all that he has achieved.

Also, until very recently, the ODI 50-over format was the one considered to be in peril. Many said it had lost significance. Now, it will no longer be the case. With Kohli and Rohit both deciding to continue to play the ODI 50- over format, its future appears safe in the next two years. If both of them stay on to play the 2027 World Cup, it could be one of the biggest cricket competitions we have witnessed in recent times. India wants to see them play, and the 50-over cricket is the only format they will be a part of.

Having watched and covered Kohli for all of his career, I’d say it was a real pleasure to see him go about his art. Even when he failed, the narrative was about him. Can he or can he not? That’s what India will miss in England. For the next captain, it will be tough. With neither Kohli nor Rohit in the change room, perhaps the toughest tour India has undertaken in recent times. Here’s wishing Kohli a happy Test retirement. Only wish I did not have to say it this early.

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