Virat Kohli will go down as one of the greatest to ever play Test cricket. The veteran recently announced retirement from the format to mark and end of an era in Test cricket. Kohli's numbers might not be on par with someone like Sachin Tendulkar or Joe Root, but he contributed to the format more than anyone else.

At a time when Test cricket was gasping for breath, facing stiff challenge from T20Is, Kohli stood tall and revived the format with his fearless attitude.

Former England cricketer Steve Finn paid a heartfelt tribute to Virat Kohli post his retirement. Finn recalled his first encounter with Virat Kohli during the U-19 tri-series in the UK and said the Kohli fire was visible to him even before the India stalwart became the face of Test cricket.

"I first played a full international against Kohli in an ODI at Lord's in 2011, then in Test cricket in India the following year, when England famously won the series 2-1," Wrote Finn in his coloumn for BBC.

"But my first encounter with him came some time before, in an Under-19 series in the UK in 2006. We played three four-day 'Test' matches, with some recognisable names on both teams: Moeen Ali, Adil Rashid, Adam Lyth and Ishant Sharma. Kohli and I were both 17, so playing a couple of years above our age group.

"Even then, as a youngster, a far cry from the supreme athlete he turned into, the competitiveness and fire that has characterised Kohli's career shone brightly.

"In the first game at Canterbury, he made 123 in the first innings. It was full of trademark Kohli shots: clips through mid-wicket and punches through the covers with a checked drive.

"What I remember most vividly is how keen he was to engage in a battle with us. In age-group cricket, some players are there to score their runs so they progress through the system. Not Kohli. He was there to win," wrote Finn.

Kohli Brought Fitness Culture To Team India

Finn also credited Virat Kohli for making fitness a priority in the Indian cricket team. "On the previous Test tour, four years earlier, we would generally be the only team using the hotel gym. We would have free rein to use whatever equipment we pleased.

"By 2016, these hotel gyms had now become boutiques to Kohli's fitness regime, and the rest of the team followed on his coattails. There were Olympics lifting bars, weights and an on-call fitness trainer. It was obvious we were dealing with a very different India team, one that became formidable as a result," he added.

Virat Kohli's Impact On Test Cricket

Finn acknowledged Virat Kohli's role in keeping Test cricket alive. He said that Kohli could have walked away from the format and focus on brand building by playing other formats and IPL, however, he stood tall for Test cricket and helped it overcome the challenges.

"I don't think it's hyperbole to say that Kohli has done more to maintain the primacy of Test cricket than any other player in the modern era.

"It would have been so easy for him to walk away from the grind much sooner than this. He could have basked in the financial prosperity of the Indian Premier League, influenced his 271m Instagram followers (three times more than David Beckham) and used his image to secure his family's future.

"Instead, Kohli understood that a cricketer's legacy is shaped by what they do in the longest format. As a sport, we have to hope the next Indian superstars have the same attitude," Finn concluded.

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