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Indian batting legend Virat Kohli’s recent announcement of his retirement from Test cricket has left the cricketing world stunned and emotional.
Virat Kohli’s Test retirement sparks waves of emotion across the globe
After a glittering 14-year-long red-ball career, Kohli’s decision to step away from the longest format of the game brought an end to one of Indian cricket’s most defining Test eras. With 123 Test matches, 9,230 runs, and 40 wins as captain the most by any Indian skipper. Kohli’s contribution is not just statistical but deeply emotional for his admirers. Tributes poured in from all corners of the globe from cricketing legends to fans, teammates, and celebrities alike. Everyone had a story to tell or a memory to cherish about Kohli’s time in whites. Among those deeply moved by Kohli’s retirement was Indian lyricist, screenwriter, and stand-up comedian Varun Grover, who penned an evocative tribute that beautifully linked the emotional depth of Test cricket with Kohli’s unique presence in it.
Anushka Sharma shares Varun Grover’s poetic salute to Kohli’s Test greatness
Anushka Sharma, Virat Kohli’s wife and a prominent figure in Indian cinema, shared a moving literary tribute by Varun Grover that captured the emotional and philosophical essence of Kohli’s Test journey.
Grover poetically described how Test cricket, unlike any other sport, functions like a grand narrative, layered, unpredictable, and intensely human. He explained that Test cricket is shaped by numerous variables: the structure of four innings over five days, 22 specialists engaged in a battle of wits, unpredictable weather shifts, pitch behavior, and a coin toss that often decides fate.
“Test cricket is special because it is a narrative sport. |Sg many variables – four innings, five days, twenty-two specialists, changing weather (sometimes several times in a day), humidity in the air, the condition of the pitch, luck determined by a coin toss, and constantly evolving mental calculations,” Grover wrote.
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But more than just a sport, Grover compared it to a literary novel, where various genres and emotions co-exist within a single thread. In this metaphor, only those who have a deep, enduring story to tell can truly thrive, and Kohli, according to Grover, was the defining character of this grand narrative in the last decade. He emphasized how Kohli didn’t just play the game; he embodied its emotional spectrum.
“Although every sport reflects some aspect of life, but test cricket is like literary novel – combining many different genres into one. That’s why only those with a story to tell succeed in test cricket. A story so long and deep that it doesn’t care for the pitch conditions – grass, dry, home, or away. Virat Kohli is the biggest character of This novel over the last decade,” Grover added.
From aggression and passion to vulnerability and resilience, Kohli enriched the genre of Test cricket with his presence. Grover concluded that while Kohli’s contributions to Indian cricket have been well-documented, what he gave to Test cricket was something far rarer — a sensitive protagonist whose presence made both victory and defeat feel profoundly beautiful.
“He not only lived the different emotions of the game but also enriched them. A lot has been written about what he gave to the team and India, but he became something rare for test cricket – a sensitive, drama-loving hero who looks good both laughing and crying, winning and losing,” Grover concluded.
Also READ: ‘The king in whites’: Shreyanka Patil shares a moving note after Virat Kohli’s Test retirement
