Former England captain Michael Vaughan expressed his shock and sadness over Virat Kohli’s unexpected retirement from Test cricket. Kohli announced he was stepping away from the longest format, wrapping up an impressive career where he played 123 Tests, scored 9,230 runs with an average of 46.85, and hit 30 centuries. Vaughan shared in his column for the Telegraph that he felt genuinely disappointed about Kohli’s retirement, especially since he won’t be able to see him play in England this summer.
Vaughan stated, I’m surprised that he’s retiring now, and I’m quite sad about it. In my 30 years in the game, I don’t think anyone has done as much for Test cricket as Virat has. He noted that Kohli led India to 40 wins in 68 Tests—the most by any Indian captain. Vaughan believes Kohli revived interest in the Test format, saying the game would have been much duller without him.
He recalled his worries when Kohli took over the captaincy and India seemed to be drifting away from Test cricket. MS Dhoni was great in white-ball cricket, but it felt like there wasn’t much love for Test cricket under his captaincy. India needs to be passionate about Test cricket, and that’s what Virat brought back, he said.
According to Vaughan, Kohli’s passion and skills made a big difference. He called Kohli the greatest across all formats and said his retirement is a major loss for Test cricket, especially for fans in England this summer. Vaughan believes Kohli has inspired a love for the format in the next generation and helped keep interest alive.
Despite Kohli’s often aggressive demeanor on the field, Vaughan pointed out that he might not have as big an ego as some think. All top players have egos, but maybe Virat’s isn’t as inflated as people believe. Family life seems to have softened him a bit, and he probably just wants a normal life now, especially in London where he spends a lot of time, he said. Vaughan concluded by noting that the pressure on players like Kohli or Sachin Tendulkar is unimaginable for those not in their shoes.
