Virat Kohli shocked the cricket fraternity after taking a sudden retirement from Test cricket. Kohli was going through a lean phase, but the BCCI were keen to have him on the flight to England. Media reports claimed that BCCI asked Kohli to reconsider his decision, however, the veteran did not change his mind. Many cricket greats felt that Kohli could have played for another two years, given his fitness.

Meanwhile, former India cricketer Harbhajan Singh said that Kohli's decision to retire from the format shocked him and his daughter Hinaya. Harbhajan revealed that his daughter requested him to message Kohli on her behalf, and got a warm reply from the veteran.

"I couldn't understand why Virat Kohli took retirement. My daughter said to me, 'Papa, why did Virat Kohli take retirement? I want to message him'. She wrote to Virat Kohli saying, 'I am Hinaya. Why did you take retirement?' Her heart was affected like that. Virat Kohli replied with a laugh saying, 'Beta, now it's time'," shared Harbhajan, as quoted by The Times of India.

Kohli retired from the format with 9230 runs in 210 Test innings, with 30 hundreds to his name.

Test Cricket Will Not Be The Same Without Virat Kohli

Sachin Tendulkar holds the record for most runs and centuries in Test cricket. Joe Root from the modern era is closing the gap with Tendulkar and might break his records in a few years to go down as one of the greatest in the format. Steve Smith tasted tremendous success in the format along with Kane Williamson. Virat Kohli's numbers are not close to these great players, but he did more for Test cricket than any other player in the world.

At a time when Test cricket was battling for survival, Kohli came as a shot in the arm for the format. His aggression and intensity revived the fans' interest in the format and gave a new life to Test cricket.

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