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Former England captain Nasser Hussain has weighed in on a 36-year-old Virat Kohli retiring from his favourite format, Test cricket, weeks ahead of the five-Test series against Ben Stokes-led side. Hussain hailed the impact Kohli had on the game not just as a batter and a captain but his passion for the format as well.
"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. 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," Hussain said on Sky Sports Cricket's podcast.
"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."
Nasser explains why Kohli retired from Tests
Kohli retired as India's fourth-highest run-scorer in the longest format. He could not reach 10,000 Test runs as he had once wished to do. But he retired as India's most successful Test captain and is likely to get the role when players pick their all-time Test XI for the country. Hussain said that Kohli does not want to be a normal cricket but the best, and that's the reason behind him retiring from Tests.
“He is the ultimate winner, he sees the end goal as a win, and he is desperate for that. 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,” Hussain opined.
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