"Long live the King": Atul Wassan's touching tribute to Virat Kohli's illustrious Test career

New Delhi [India], May 12 (ANI): Former cricketer Atul Wassan sang a verse in India's batting mainstay Virat Kohli and stood with his decision to retire from Test cricket, even though he felt the 36-year-old would dazzle in England next month.

The world stood silent on Monday morning when Virat dropped a heartfelt note to call it a day on his distinguished Test career. Former cricketers felt there was still enough left in Virat's tank to have a dance in England. However, the days of speculation came true, and Virat bid adieu to the longest format of cricket.

Wassan, who has seen Virat take the first steps on the ladder of success, classified him as one of the players who brought a paradigm shift in cricket by redefining the standards of red-ball cricket with his aggressive attitude and sublime strokeplay.

"I thought he would play this series. He has achieved a lot. I thought there would be a farewell match. I am with him on his decision. It would have been nice to see him play a major farewell match. He brought a paradigm shift in how this game is played and how the public consumes it," Wassan told ANI.

"I don't think we will see such a complete persona now. He connected the fans to the game with his magnetism. Virat was from my academy, and I have seen him play from the beginning. Long live the king. I don't think he is planning according to the World Cup. I think he has realised what he has achieved. He is going on top," he added.

On Monday, Virat penned an emotional message to end his Test journey as India's fourth-highest run-getter in the format. The 36-year-old's revelation comes a couple of days after his long-time compatriot Rohit Sharma confirmed that he had his last dance in the format during India's tour of Australia.

Virat's departure from red-ball cricket continues the trend of exodus from the Test format in the Indian setup. Before the Indian batting bigwigs, the illustrious frontline off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin called it a day on his international career midway through the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia earlier this year.

In a career that rejigged the demands of the game, Virat's unparalleled contributions saw him rack up 9,230 runs at an average of 46.85, with 30 centuries and 31 fifties. (ANI)

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