Virat Kohli led the Indian Test team from 2014 to 2022, securing 40 victories in 68 matches during his captaincy.
Michael Vaughan Reacts: “Gutted by Kohli’s Retirement, But He Brought Passion Back to Test Cricket”
It has been 48 hours since Virat Kohli announced his retirement from Test cricket, putting an end to days of intense speculation about his future in the format. Former England captain Michael Vaughan admitted he is still “gutted, shocked and sad” about the announcement. Writing in his column for The Telegraph, Vaughan mostly praised the 36-year-old but also drew a comparison between Kohli’s Test captaincy and that of his predecessor, MS Dhoni.
One of Kohli’s greatest accomplishments in the traditional format remains his nine-year stint as captain, during which India rose to become the No. 1 ranked team in the world, remained unbeaten at home, and became the first Indian side to win a Test series in Australia. Under his leadership, India won 40 out of 68 Tests — the most by any Indian captain and the fourth-most by any captain in Test history.
Vaughan revealed that he was initially “worried” when Kohli took over from Dhoni during the 2014 Australia tour. However, he added that Kohli revitalized the appeal of Test cricket and that the format would have been “a far blander place” without his intensity and passion.
“When he took the captaincy just over a decade ago, I was worried India was losing interest in Test cricket,” Vaughan wrote.
Virat Kohli: The Guardian of Test Cricket’s Soul, Says Michael Vaughan
His passion, skill, and the way he talked about Test cricket always being the pinnacle has been a huge shot in the arm for the format. Test cricket would have been a far blander place without him, and there is a chance it would have lost its appeal if he had not been as interested and invested in it.”
Former England captain Michael Vaughan, who led his country in Tests from 2003 to 2008, called Kohli the greatest player across formats in the modern era and admitted his retirement was a major blow to the red-ball game.
“His retirement now is a blow to Test cricket and very disappointing for fans – not least in England this summer – but my belief is that he has helped forge a love for the format among the generation that will follow him, and kept the flame burning,” Vaughan wrote.
“It’s impossible to compare across every era, but if you look at since T20 came in around 20 years ago, he is almost certainly the greatest player when you consider all three formats.”
Kohli retired from Test cricket on Monday via Instagram, ending a remarkable career of 123 matches with 9,230 runs at an average of 46.85, including 30 centuries.
“There are not too many Test retirements where I am left genuinely disappointed that I won’t watch a cricketer play again. But I’m gutted we won’t see Virat Kohli in England this summer or in whites any more,” Vaughan added. “I’m shocked that he’s retiring now, and I’m also quite sad about it. In my time involved in the game, stretching back more than 30 years, I don’t believe there is any individual who has done more for the Test format than Virat.”
