Unrelenting Thirst For Greatness Led To Virat Kohli's End? Former ENG Captain Expounds

Advertisement

Last Updated:May 15, 2025, 14:02 IST

Hussain believes that possibly an innate inability to succumbe to normalcy mightiness person been a origin down wherefore the talisman batter chose to telephone it quits.

Virat Kohli has called clip connected his Test career. (Image: AFP)

Perhaps it wasn’t fatigue oregon age, but alternatively Virat Kohli’s thirst to ne'er settee and beryllium a “normal cricketer" that led to his status from the long-format of Indian Cricket, exclaimed erstwhile England skipper Nasser Hussain.

Kohli retired from the red-ball format this Monday successful a determination that took galore by surprise.

The 36-year-old was not lone the biggest promoter of Test cricket but single-handedly rekindled everyone’s passionateness for the agelong format portion besides becoming India’s astir palmy Test captain.

Hussain believes that possibly an innate inability to succumb to normalcy mightiness person been a origin down wherefore the talisman batter chose to telephone it quits.

“He is the eventual winner, helium sees the extremity end arsenic a win, and helium is hopeless for that," Hussain said connected the Sky Sports Cricket podcast.

“Everything for Kohli is astir winning. Why bash you deliberation he’s truthful bully successful tally chases? He can’t spell connected the tract and not beryllium a 100 per cent, helium can’t ever go: ‘I’ll conscionable bash my champion today.

“That whitethorn person formed portion of his status decision, helium doesn’t privation to beryllium a mean cricketer, conscionable doing a small spot present and there. He made India into the unit they are today."

Kohli drew the curtains connected his stellar Test vocation connected Monday and hung up his boots with 9,230 runs successful 123 matches astatine an mean of 46.85, including hitting 30 hundreds and 31 fifties with a highest people of 254 not out.

Whether 1 loved him oregon hated him, nary tin contradict the power Kohli has had connected Test cricket, having incorporated his trademark aggression and swagger into the mix.

“I person been a monolithic Virat Kohli instrumentality implicit the past 14 years – his stats talk for themselves – but helium was truthful overmuch much than that. It was his aura, swagger, and passion. We cognize Indian cricket fans, and the crippled means truthful overmuch to them," said Hussain.

“They privation their skipper to amusement them what it means to the team, and nary 1 embodied that passionateness for cricket successful India much than Kohli. He was an unbelievable player.

“He took India to No. 1 successful the world, and they stayed determination for astir 42 months. He wholly changed the mode they play cricket. Whoever takes connected that mantle has got thing to unrecorded up to," added Hussain.

(with bureau inputs)

Location :

First Published:

News cricket Unrelenting Thirst For Greatness Led To Virat Kohli's End? Former ENG Captain Expounds