It was around 8 am that Ravichandran Ashwin and I first spoke on the phone. About five to seven minutes into the conversation, I questioned him on Virat Kohli, and if he felt there was a possibility of him continuing in Test cricket. Ashwin flipped it back to me and asked what I felt. We both agreed that Test cricket would be poorer without Kohli around. At that point, neither of us knew that by 12 noon, Kohli would make it public. That he was giving up playing in whites and calling time on what has been a stellar career.
Soon after the announcement, we spoke again. This time round, there was a kind of inevitability to it. The call had been taken and it was all final. Ashwin did not leave the way he should have, and Kohli has done the same. Not the way to go. Ashwin, who once told me that he felt inspired by Kohli and the way he scored runs, for he always wanted to win matches for India, was the best person to ask about the impact Kohli has left on the sport and the five-day format.
Here’s what Ashwin had to say: “Virat the Test fuel will be missed. He was an ambassador for Test cricket and his energy will be missed on the field as far as I am concerned. His energy on the field is tough to replace. Felt like he had some more cricket left but then he will know best, because when it’s time, it’s time.”
RevSportz understands that #ViratKohli wasn’t comfortable with the #BCCI‘s 10-pointer SOPs that put a limit on the duration families can spend with players on overseas tours. Head coach Gautam Gambhir wasn’t in favour of altering it.@shamik100 writes.https://t.co/rKDgtIpb4G
— RevSportz Global (@RevSportzGlobal) May 12, 2025
Read between the lines if you want to. Don’t, if you don’t wish to, but the truth is Test cricket today is poorer.
The macro picture is what I am concerned about. When I see Test cricket, I do see batters of the quality of Kohli. Steve Smith, for example, or Joe Root. Equally good, if not better. Kane Williamson too comes close. But when you take impact, the larger picture, brand and someone who gets bums on seats around the world, I don’t think anyone comes remotely close to Kohli.
That’s what Ashwin was referring to, and that’s the big worry. With no Kohli, who will stand up to the intrusions of T20 franchise leagues and tell the next generation that red-ball cricket is the real deal? Who will inspire them to pick up a cricket bat and bat for 200 balls? Make no mistake, Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane were excellent Test players, but again, when I see impact, legacy as we call it, I don’t see anyone matching Kohli.
The silence after the roar. @imVkohli’s Test retirement leaves a void words can barely capture. A personal reflection on the icon who made whites feel magical again.
✍️@TrishaGhosal #ThankYouVirat #KingKohli #TestCrickethttps://t.co/dgbl6Ho1vB
— RevSportz Global (@RevSportzGlobal) May 12, 2025
That’s why I think we haven’t come to terms with this retirement just yet. We don’t really know how deep the void is. Who is the next big boy who can make Test cricket an aspiration? Who can take the baton and run with it? Post-Tendulkar, we had Kohli and the transition was smooth. Kohli led the game for the next decade between 2014 and 2025. But, who now? Will Shubman Gill or Rishabh Pant or anyone be able to do the same? Will Test cricket, the format, manage to overcome this void? That’s the big picture and that’s where I go back to Ashwin – “Felt he had some more cricket left, but then he will know best.”
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