An Open Letter to Virat Kohli after he steps down as Indian Test Captain

Dear Virat,

So, that’s it then. When India play their next Test match, we will not see you striding out in that blue blazer for the toss. It feels odd, you know. For more than 7 years, we have seen you walking out, leading your troops in the whites with such passion and vigour.

I still remember that day in December 2014, when you strode out as the Indian Test captain for the first time in Adelaide. Australia can be a hostile place for any player to begin his captaincy stint, but you took the Aussies head-on, and from then till now, you have never taken a backward step.

Those twin hundreds in Adelaide, where you smashed Mitchell Johnson and Nathan Lyon to a pulp is now a part of Indian cricketing folklore Virat. We might have lost the match, but you taught India to take on any challenge with a sense of fearlessness.

Then came the sudden retirement of the great MS Dhoni, and the mantle of leading the Test side on a full-time basis fell on your shoulders. And, you blossomed when the responsibility was given to you. You took on every challenge that came your way head-on, and instilled a sense of belief into the side.

You taught India to stand up and fight

You have told, time and again, that you always play to win. EVERY moment of EVERY match, you have given your absolute best for the nation. Well, even in your Insta post yesterday, you mentioned that you have always given your 120 percent on the field.

And most importantly, you taught India to fight. You never wanted your boys to be bullied, you wanted them to be world-beaters. When you took over, India were ranked 7th in Test cricket. And now, 7 years later in January 2022, India are the No.1 ranked Test side, India have reached the final of the World Test Championship (WTC), India have conquered Australia in Australia, India dominated England in England (last year), and are a force to reckon with in world cricket.

And through all this, it has been you who has played a key role in making all this possible. Phew, being the Test captain of a side like India where cricket is nothing short of a religion is a daunting task. Innumerable press conferences, millions offering their ‘expert’ advice to the Indian skipper, commentators and armchair experts commenting on the way the captain leads a side, and social media trolls day in and day out can take its toll on any captain. But you have handled all that in your own inimitable way, and here we are today as the best Test side in the world.

Let me dive into the numbers…

What about the numbers, people might ask? This is a sport obsessed with statistics, a sport where numbers are a tangible way of proving greatness. So, let us get going with the numbers. Most Test wins as Indian captain (The next man on the list is 13 wins short of your tally), a whopping win percentage of 58.82%, just 17 losses, and a win-loss ratio of 2.35. These are numbers that any Indian skipper would be proud of.

And, how can anyone forget that period between 2015 and 2018, when you were batting at a different realm when batters around you were reduced to a blip. 4236 Test runs between 2015 and 2018, an average of 61.39 in that phase, 16 tons, 10 half-centuries, and a staggering 6 double centuries. These are insane numbers, but you had almost made it a habit to accomplish the impossible…

So, it is just you and your bat from now on

Right. So here we are. When you stride out for your 100th Test match next month, you will do so without the ‘C’ next to your name. It will just be you and your bat. There will be nothing between you and your craft. Go forth, and mesmerize us Virat, for we want you to cast your enchanting spell on us, we want to gape at you unabashedly, as you create magic with that willow in your hand.

Yours Truly

An ardent Cricket Fan