Marvellous ambassador for Indian cricket: Surinder Khanna lauds 'once in a generation' Kohli after Test retirement

Kohli, who made his Test debut in 2011, announced his retirement from red-ball cricket on Monday through a social media post. He finished his Test career with 9230 runs in 123 matches at an impressive average of 46.85 with 30 centuries and 31 half-centuries.

This came after Rohit Sharma made a surprise announcement to call time on his career in the longest format of the game last week.

"It's not a happy day... Virat Kohli, throughout his international career for India, has always conducted himself with great integrity. The runs and centuries he has scored - and the manner in which he scored them -speak volumes about his longevity in the game.

"Great players come to know when they want to retire. Just a few days ago, Rohit Sharma announced his retirement from Test cricket. These two - Virat and Rohit - have been exceptional batsmen who made a name for themselves globally, especially Virat Kohli," Khanna told IANS.

After assuming Test captaincy in 2014, Kohli captained India in the red-ball format in 68 matches, securing 40 wins between 2014 to 2022, making him the most successful Indian men's captain in Tests in terms of wins.

"I would say his retirement is a loss for the game of cricket itself. People come and go, but Virat is the kind of player who is born once in a generation. I was expecting him to continue for another two-three years, especially considering how much he's enjoying T20 cricket right now and how well he's been playing - his touch is back.

"These greats are not found easily, and they certainly can't be replaced easily. Many good cricketers will come in the future, but players like Virat, Rohit, Tendulkar and Gavaskar are once-in-a-generation talents.

"Every cricketer goes through a rough patch, but class is permanent. Just because someone isn't scoring runs for a while doesn't mean we should start questioning their ability. That, in my opinion, isn't fair," he added.

Kohli's 30 Test centuries make him the fourth-most successful Indian batter, behind Sachin Tendulkar (51 hundreds), Rahul Dravid (36), and Sunil Gavaskar (34). Kohli also made seven Test double hundreds, the most ever by an Indian. He also has the most Test hundreds by an Indian captain, with Gavaskar (11 centuries) way behind his 20 tons.

"My heart is truly heavy today, but I would still like to say this to Virat: You have won the hearts of millions across the world with your cricket. I wish you all the very best in whatever you choose to do. Please continue playing T20s - at least that way, we'll still get to watch you play. And play the 2027 World Cup for India too. You bring so much joy to all of us with your batting. We salute you. You have been a marvellous, fantastic ambassador for Indian cricket," Khanna concluded.