Australia to Australia: Full circle of Virat Kohli's Test journey

New Delhi [India], May 12 (ANI): Speculation around Virat Kohli's red-ball future had been building for months and now, it has finally come to an end. The 36-year-old Indian cricketing icon has officially announced his retirement from Test cricket, marking the end of an era that saw one of the modern greats dominate the longest format of the game with unmatched passion and intensity.

Kohli's final chapter in Test whites played out far from home, during a disastrous Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia. Once a land of his triumphs and transformation, Australia became the backdrop to a painful farewell. His last innings was the same way of dismissal, edging behind after chasing another delivery outside off-stump from Scott Boland. Virat has witnessed it all in Australia, from coming of age to dominance to utter helplessness against forces of age, muscle memory, and time.

It was in Australia where Kohli had first announced himself in the red-ball arena a young maverick scoring centuries, confronting sledges, and leading India to a historic series win but the very venue of his rise would also script his fall.

While Kohli has dazzled in the ongoing Indian Premier League and was instrumental in India's recent ICC Champions Trophy win, guiding the team to its second white-ball trophy in less than a year.

Here is a timeline of Virat's Australia tours:

2011-12: A 23-year-old walked to the Australian shores for the first time ever with immense scrutiny on him. After managing just 202 runs in four games against the West Indies with two promising fifties at home after a disastrous Test debut in the Caribbean, an Australia tour was a make-or-break opportunity for a young Virat, surrounded by legends like Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman, Rahul Dravid, and Virender Sehwag in their last legs of career, but nonetheless, proven match-winners in Australia.

After managing just 32 runs in four innings of the first two matches, Virat's luck took a turn for the better at Perth, where he managed scores of 44 and 75. Finally, at Adelaide, came his maiden Test ton against the likes of Ben Hilfenhaus, Ryan Harris, Peter Siddle, Nathan Lyon, among others. While other seniors could not even touch the 300-run mark in a shameful clean sweep by 4-0, Virat's batting in the later half was a huge positive as he touched the 300-run mark, proving his capability for tough Australian conditions where pace, bounce, movement, and trademark Aussie aggression came in plenty.

2014-15: This tour to Australia came when India was in a transitional phase, with MS Dhoni calling it quits on this tour from the format after poor overseas results. After a pathetic show at England with just 134 runs in 10 innings, where he was toyed with by swing and seam of James Anderson and Stuart Broad, not a lot of people expected Virat to deliver a good campaign in Australia, let alone double his numbers from the past tour.

During the first Adelaide Test, where he led in the absence of an injured Dhoni, a bumper from Mitchell Johnson during the first Adelaide Test rang loudly in Virat's head, awakening a rockstar who would go on to routinely dominate bowlers for the next five-six years. Right from his twin ton master class at Adelaide, which almost won India the match to the New Year's Test classic at Sydney where he took over as full-time Test captain, Virat pulled, cut, sliced, drove bowlers with fearlessness, class, and relentlessness that earned him the respect of cricket purists worldwide. With 692 runs in four games at an average of 86.50, four centuries and a fifty, he not only top-scored in the series, but also established the record of most runs scored by an Indian during a series in South Africa, England, New Zealand, and South Africa (SENA) regions, successes where are considered a measuring stick for an Asian player.

2018: After two successful tours to England and South Africa with the bat that added some more fantastic knocks to his catalogue, Virat, itching for his first series win in SENA countries as a captain, came to Australia with an aim to win and bully Australia into submission. That is what a powerful, all-round Indian line-up did, defeating Australia 2-1. Virat scored 282 runs in four matches and seven innings at an average of 40.29, with a century and a half-century each. His knock at 123 at Perth against a world-class line-up of Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, and Nathan Lyon on a green wicket is considered as one of the finest knocks in Australia by an Indian.

2020-21: During this time, Virat came to the shores as the best all-format batter, ready to deal with new challenges coming with parenthood. His only match during the tour was the first Adelaide Test. While he played a patient knock of 74 on a testing wicket, his side being bundled out for 36 in the second innings is considered one of the most humiliating moments in Indian cricket. Virat headed back home to care for his wife and actress Anushka Sharma after a humiliating loss, with 78 runs under his belt in two innings. From then on, Rahane took over his role and led India to an inspiring victory, overcoming inexperience, injuries, racism, and a full-strength Australian side.

2024-25: This series saw Virat at his most vulnerable and weakest. After a fine century at Perth, fans got their hopes up for a comeback series Down Under against his favourite opponent. But between the prospect of an all-timer and a poor series, stood pacer Scott Boland, who decided to make a meal out of the senior batter, dismissing him four times and taking full advantage of his weakness against outside off-stump line. Despite his ton, he could score only 190 runs in nine innings at an average of 23.75. His last image in Australia was him cussing at himself, slapping his bat aggressively on the ground as he took a long walk back to the pavilion. (ANI)

(The story has come from a syndicated feed and has not been edited by the Tribune Staff.)