NDC DESK
Some retirements are expected. Some, ceremonial. But Virat Kohli’s quiet exit from Test cricket felt different. Like the lights dimming on a stage we weren’t quite done watching.
There was no farewell series. No grand send-off. Just an Instagram post from the man who once screamed into the Adelaide sky after a gritty win, now calmly bowing out of the longest format with grace and gratitude. “It’s tested me, shaped me, and taught me lessons I’ll carry for life,” he wrote.
Kohli announcing his Test retirement didn’t just mark the end of a career. It ended an era. A chapter that redefined Indian Test cricket with grit, fire, and an uncompromising commitment to excellence. But what truly captured the weight of this farewell was the tribute that came from Sachin Tendulkar the man who once inspired a young Kohli to pick up the bat.
In a heartfelt note, Tendulkar remembered a private moment from 2013 ; the day he retired. After his final Test innings, Kohli approached him with a deeply personal gesture: a sacred thread that had belonged to his late father. Tendulkar, overwhelmed, couldn’t accept it. But the moment stayed with him. “As you retire from Tests, I’m reminded of your thoughtful gesture… While I may not have a thread to offer in return, please know that you carry my deepest admiration,” he wrote on X.
In those few words, Tendulkar didn’t just honour Kohli’s numbers “123 Tests, 9,230 runs, 30 centuries “- he honoured the soul of the player. “Your true legacy, Virat, lies in inspiring countless young cricketers to pick up the sport,” he added.
Sachin Tendulkar’s words echoed what we all feel: admiration, pride, and a lump in the throat. “You were a delight to watch in whites.”
For a generation Kohli was the face of red-ball cricket. Fierce, elegant, and unrelenting. He turned sessions into contests, and contests into theatre. The stare-downs, the Adelaide roar, the flying kisses to critics ; they were all part of a man who didn’t just play Test cricket, he believed in it.
As fans, we will miss him. The one who taught young batters that Test cricket wasn’t a dying art, it was the pinnacle.
Test cricket will move on. India will find new heroes. But there won’t be another who wore his heart so openly, who made you feel every run, every setback, every win.
So thank you, King Kohli; for the cover drives, the battles, the brutal honesty, and the unmatched spirit. You made whites look glorious. Thank you for the fight. Thank you for the flair. And thank you for making Test cricket matter again.
The game was lucky to have you. And so were we.
