New Delhi: Expectations to excel and hunger to win every time he dons the India whites might have been a primary reason for Virat Kohli to retire from Test cricket, feels former England skipper Nasser Hussain.
The former captain left red-ball cricket through a social media post a month before India’s five-match series in England.
The No.4 batter left after 123 matches, in which he scored 9230 runs with 30 centuries to be India’s fourth highest scorer.
But apart from runs and being India’s most successful skipper with 40 wins in 68 matches, Kohli is credited for putting focus back on the traditional format of the game amidst the proliferation of T20 and franchise leagues.
He made his debut in 2011 and grew to become one of the modern-day greats, but his prolific run-scoring ability slowed down in the last five years since 2019. Coming to terms with his prolonged form slump must have taken a toll on Kohli and facilitated his retirement call.
“He is the ultimate winner, he sees the end goal as a win, and he is desperate for that,” Hussain told on a Sky Sports podcast.
“Everything for Kohli is about winning. Why do you think he’s so good in run chases? He can’t go on the field and not be a hundred per cent, he can’t ever go: ‘I’ll just do my best today.
“That may have formed part of his retirement decision, he doesn’t want to be a normal cricketer, just doing a little bit here and there. He made India into the force they are today.”
Kohli’s alarming dip in form affected his overall batting average that dipped to 46.9 from mid 50s a few years ago. It also left him behind his contemporary batting greats like England’s Joe Root, Australia’s Steve Smith and New Zealand’s Kane Williamson.
“I have been a massive Virat Kohli fan over the last 14 years – his stats speak for themselves – but he was so much more than that. It was his aura, swagger, and passion. We know Indian cricket fans, and the game means so much to them,” Hussain added.
“They want their captain to show them what it means to the team, and no one embodied that passion for cricket in India more than Kohli. He was an unbelievable player.
“He took India to No. 1 in the world, and they stayed there for about 42 months. He completely changed the way they play cricket. Whoever takes on that mantle has got something to live up to.”
Former captain Virat Kohli left red-ball cricket through a social media post a month before India’s five-match Test series in England. Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
