England’s former captain Nasser Hussain heaped huge praise for Virat Kohli after his Test retirement. Lauding his “aura, swagger and passion” Hussain mentioned about the lasting legacy of Virat Kohli in Test cricket. Virat announced his sudden retirement on Monday, this marked the end of his 14-years of a golden Test career.
Nasser Hussain Lauds Virat Kohli’s Aura, Swagger & Passion
“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.
“He Took India To No.1 In World” Says Hussain
“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.”
Virat Kohli Is The “Ultimate Winner”
“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.”
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Virat Kohli’s Recent Struggle In Tests
In the past five years Kohli’s strike rate has dropped below 50 and he has scored just 2028 runs in 68 innings. Despite scoring a century last year in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy at Perth, his performance lacked consistency and there’s a possible sign that he might have already moved on from the format.
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Dream Of 10,000 Runs Remains Incomplete
At young age Virat expressed his dream to hit 10,000 Test runs, but this will now always remain unfulfilled as he retired just 770 runs before reaching that milestone. He ended his Test career with 9,230 runs in 123 matches and an average below than 50 in the last 5 years. Team India will be playing five match Test series against England starting from June 20 while India A team will play three 4-day practice matches starting from June 1.
