Cut to 1987. The Little Master, as he was called, bids his farewell to all forms of cricket following the Reliance World Cup. Although his final appearance came in a One-Day International against England at the Wankhede Stadium on November 5, 1987, Gavaskar never made a formal retirement announcement—he simply informed the selectors that he would not be available thereafter.
For these 16 years in the interim, Gavaskar simply rules—as the dominant force in world cricket. He reigned over the Test arena as one of the game’s greatest exponents, standing resolutely against the most formidable pace attacks of his time. From his very first series, Gavaskar set the benchmark, scoring the most centuries against the lethal West Indies bowling lineup—a battery of fast bowlers of the kind the world has never seen. Quite simply, Gavaskar redefined batting for his generation and became the first player to surpass 10,000 runs in Test cricket.
Just two years after Gavaskar stepped away, on November 15, 1989, a 16-year-old Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar walks out to bat in his debut Test against Pakistan in Karachi. Soon, India had discovered its second once-in-a-millennium cricketer.
While Test cricket was the pinnacle during Gavaskar’s era, One-Day Internationals rose to prominence in Sachin’s time. After retiring from ODIs in 2012, Tendulkar played his final Test in the second match of the series against the West Indies on November 14, 2013. For an astonishing 24 years, he remained the undisputed monarch of world cricket—an emperor in Tests and a king in ODIs—amassing over 100 international centuries across both formats.
Enter the King
Virat Kohli entered the Indian side while Sachin was still active. Making his Test debut in 2011, Kohli’s early performances were modest; he did not register his first century until his eighth match. However, between 2016 and 2019, he compiled 16 of his 30 Test centuries, many under the most challenging conditions, outshining contemporaries across the globe.
If Gavaskar ruled Tests and Sachin reigned in both Tests and ODIs, Kohli has arguably been the finest of his era across all three formats—Tests, ODIs, and T20Is—a format that blossomed during his career.
From March 6, 1971, when Gavaskar made his first appearance, to May 12, 2025, the day Virat Kohli announced his retirement from Test cricket, India has been blessed with three era-defining batting legends—each shaping the sport for a generation and beyond.
For Kohli’s legion of fans across the length and breadth of the cricketing world, his Test retirement announcement leaves them yearning to see more of the champion batsman in the game’s longest format; alas, that won’t happen now but the silver lining is that, like Rohit Sharma who bid adieu to Test cricket a few days ago, Kohli, too will continue playing ODIs.
The greatness of Kohli becomes amply clear in the sheer numbers he has churned out— Tests: 9,230 runs in 123 matches with 30 centuries at an average of 46.85; ODIs: 14,181 runs from 302 matches at an average of 57.88 with a total of 51 centuries, and T20Is: 4,188 runs (the most by any batsman in this format so far) from 125 matches at an average of 48.69 with the highest score of 122*.
King Kohli’s Triple-Format Supremacy
No batter in the modern era has commanded all three formats of the game quite like Virat Kohli. While Steve Smith has been the standard-bearer in Tests, his impact in ODIs and T20Is fades when measured against Kohli’s towering presence. Among the illustrious “Fab Four,” Kane Williamson and Joe Root have dazzled in the red-ball arena — yet neither has come close to Kohli’s dominance in the white-ball formats.
Kohli’s sustained excellence across formats — from the grind of Tests to the high-octane pace of T20s — is a benchmark of versatility and greatness. Such all-format mastery is not just rare; it may well be unattainable for future generations.
In Test matches, Kohli bows out as India’s fourth-highest run-scorer in Test cricket, amassing 9,230 runs at a commendable average of 46.85. His tally of 30 Test centuries is also the fourth-most by an Indian, while his seven double hundreds stand as a national record — unmatched by any Indian and the most by any batter worldwide since his debut.
[Also, by the same author: The King of Swing: An epitome of consistency, a never-say-die attitude – The News Porter]
Kohli remains the only player in Test history to score over 1,000 runs at an average of 75 or more in two consecutive calendar years—a testament to his exceptional consistency.
His golden era began on the 2014–15 tour of Australia, where he lit up the series with 692 runs at an average of 86.50, including four masterful centuries. From that series through to the end of the Bangladesh tour in 2019–20, Kohli piled up 5,347 runs at a staggering average of 63.65, notching 21 of his 30 centuries in just 90 innings — a stretch of dominance few in the modern era can rival.
A Farewell to the King of the Red-Ball Arena
To speak candidly, Virat Kohli’s retirement from Test cricket has left his admirers deeply saddened. No longer will we witness the familiar sight of the King walking out to bat in whites — a moment that once carried the promise of artistry, intensity, and inspiration. But, as the old saying goes, all good things must come to an end. And indeed, they do. We are all mere travellers in this world — we arrive, we leave — yet the heart says, ye dil maange more (there’s this yearning for more), and it finds it hard to let go.
For those of us who came of age watching him — including this writer, born in 2000 — it is especially difficult to imagine the longest format without him. To us, he was not just a cricketer; he was the cricketer. The King. The embodiment of passion and excellence.
There is solace in knowing we will still see him grace the 50-over format, but his absence from both the red-ball and the T20I stage will be deeply felt.
We will miss you, King Kohli — the man who defined an era and redefined greatness.
