Virat Kohli, one of India’s most celebrated cricketers, announced his retirement from Test cricket on Monday. Kohli, who was often considered a custodian of the game, at a time when T20 cricket took centre-stage globally.

The 36-year-old Kohli featured in 123 Tests for India, accumulating 9230 runs with 30 hundreds at an average of 46.85.

He led India to the No.1 position in the ICC Test rankings and oversaw one of Indian cricket’s most iconic triumphs — the historic series win in Australia in 2018-19.

Reacting to Kohli’s announcement, former Australian captain Greg Chappell heaped praise on the Indian great.

“He was the most Australian non-Australian cricketer I’ve seen,” Chappell said, highlighting Kohli’s aggressive style and mental toughness.

"It closes the chapter on the most transformative figure in Indian cricket since Sachin Tendulkar; perhaps Kohli even eclipses him in terms of cultural influence and psychological impact on India's cricketing identity," added Chappell in his coloumn for Cricinfo.

"Sourav Ganguly gave Indian cricket a new spine. MS Dhoni brought ice-cold leadership and white-ball dominance. But Kohli? Kohli lit the fire."

That fire was seen on the epic Day 3 of the MCG Test when Kohli went toe-to-toe with Aussie speedster Mitchell Johnson. It all happened when Kohli pushed a delivery back to Johnson, who immediately threw it back at the stumps, inadvertently taking down the batter.

Johnson immediately apologised and checked on Kohli, but the No.4 batsman was not amused and fired back with a barrage of verbal volleys. That was the start of Kohli's love affair Down Under, and since then, the maestro never looked back. Thereafter, Kohli made a stunning debut as India’s Test captain in 2014 against Australia in Adelaide. He made history by becoming only the 4th Indian batter to score a century in both innings of a Test, with brilliant knocks of 115 and 141 in the 2014/15 season.

"He was the most Australian non-Australian cricketer we've ever seen - a snarling warrior in whites, never giving an inch, always demanding more. Not just of his bowlers, his fielders or his opposition, but first and foremost, of himself," he added.

"Yes, Tendulkar was a genius. Yes, Dhoni was a master tactician and an ice-cold finisher. But in the grand reckoning of Indian cricket history, Kohli has been its most influential figure. Why? Because he changed not just results but mindsets," he concluded.

As tributes pour in from across the globe, Kohli’s legacy remains etched in cricketing history.

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