Virat Kohli loved the challenges of Test cricket, claimed his former India teammate Cheteshwar Pujara, as the former India captain called time on his India Test career on May 12.
Kohli announced his retirement from Tests on Instagram and brought the curtains down on his career with 9230 runs in 123 Tests with 30 centuries and 31 fifties from 2011 to 2025. He also captained India in 68 Tests, winning 40 of them, becoming India’s most successful captain in the format.
According to his India teammate Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli's legacy will be defined by his unwavering devotion to Test cricket and his tireless attempts to champion the oldest and most difficult format of the game.
"He paid a lot of attention to test format in the era where all the youngsters were looking to play more of white-ball cricket. For Virat, the ultimate format of the game was Test cricket, and for that, he worked really hard,” Pujara said on ESPNCricinfo.
Pujara emphasized Kohli's revolutionary impact on the fitness standards of the Indian squad, particularly following his appointment as full-time captain in January 2015.
"When he started leading the team from 2015 onwards, that's the time when he brought in the fitness culture in the Indian team. All the teams were trying to work hard on their fitness, but in the Indian team, the fitness had to improve, and that was the time when the shift did come in.
The number of fast bowlers who came into the Indian team at that time also had to work on their fitness. The entire team started working on the fitness, and at the same time, Virat paid a lot of attention to the Test format, and he wanted the team to be one of the best in the world,” Pujara added.
Pujara stated that as captain, Kohli always focused on taking the 20 wickets to win Tests and even sacrificed one batter in the playing XI to achieve that goal.
"From the time he was in charge, he always wanted to take 20 wickets. So the intensity on the field was very important. And for each and every player to put in those suggestions to take those 20 wickets, it was important that everyone came together, and then we started working towards the goal.
He wanted to create that environment and atmosphere on the field where the batters who were batting felt the pressure. They felt that we were hunting in the pack. We are on the field to pick wickets. We are not just trying to be there and wait for the moment to pick a wicket. We are there to pick wickets at any time,” Pujara said.
Pujara cited the Lord's Test match against England in 2021 as a clear illustration of Kohli's aggression and leadership.
On the last day, when it seemed like time was running out, Kohli gave a stirring address in which he urged his bowlers to give England "60 overs of hell" before India walked out to bowl. In the end, India won by a thrilling 151 runs, taking a 1-0 series lead.
"That was one of the best victories I have been part of. Because no one thought that India could win that Test match. It was a brave declaration on day five, where only 55-60 overs were left and on a pitch that looked like a flat pitch, where to bowl a team out was a big challenge.
Credit goes to the way everyone performed, the way bowlers bowled, the way Virat led the team, and even the way team management supported that call, because it was important to declare. There are times when you feel like it's a flat pitch, there's no point wasting our energy, but that was a brave call, and we ended up winning that Test match,” Pujara stated.
(ESPNCricinfo inputs)
