New Delhi [India], May 14 : Former England captain Nasser Hussain believes batting stalwart Virat Kohli transformed the way India plays Test format with his "aura, swagger, and passion".
Virat penned a heartfelt note on Monday to announce his retirement from the Test format, bidding adieu to a 14-year-long journey, just days after Rohit Sharma called it a day from the longest format of cricket, a month before India's five high-stakes fixtures in England.
In his sparkling career, Virat brought a shift in the paradigm of the Test format as a player and captain. He brought the curtains down as India's fourth-highest run-getter in the format with 9,230 runs in 123 Tests and 40 wins out of 68 fixtures as a captain.
"I have been a massive Virat Kohli fan over the last 14 years - his stats speak for themselves - but he was so much more than that. It was his aura, swagger, and passion. We know Indian cricket fans, and the game means so much to them," Hussain said on the Sky Sports Cricket podcast.
"They want their captain to show them what it means to the team, and no one embodied that passion for cricket in India more than Kohli. He was an unbelievable player. He took India to No. 1 in the world, and they stayed there for about 42 months. He completely changed the way they play cricket. Whoever takes on that mantle has got something to live up to," he added.
Virat, a social media sensation around the globe, hammered 30 Test centuries and stayed at par with the four greatest batters of the modern age alongside England's Joe Root, Australia's Steve Smith, and New Zealand's Kane Williamson.
The 36-year-old was classified as the 'Chase Master' and thrived on his hunger for victory and scorching runs while maintaining his swagger on the field.
"He is the ultimate winner, he sees the end goal as a win, and he is desperate for that. Everything for Kohli is about winning. Why do you think he's so good in run chases? He can't go on the field and not be a hundred per cent, he can't ever go: 'I'll just do my best today.' That may have formed part of his retirement decision, he doesn't want to be a normal cricketer, just doing a little bit here and there. He made India into the force they are today," he said.