Virat Kohli quits Test Cricket following Unhappy Spell, bids adieu on Own Terms amid 'Paid & Troll' Criticism

There are cricketers who are humans. And there are also those become larger than the sport itself. On Monday, Virat Kohli left the world stunned with his announcement from Test cricket, a format he had made his own.

If statistics and runs and runs are used to define greatness, that would be naïve. Almost like plain vanilla. Virat had served a warning and then said goodbye, a decision which shows he is not at the mercy of vicious coach Gautam Gambhir or the officials of the BCCI on a fat salary.

It is well-known, Kohli has not been happy since the BGT Series Down Under. Yet, none would have imagined a man who still defines fitness and fluency in his 14-year-long Test career would slam the door on the BCCI. Mind you, if Kohli has been hurt so much, so badly, something is wrong with the system. This should be classified as poor handling of super stars by the BCCI.

To be sure, the way the BCCI has handled the big players and their exits has been pathetic. In January, R.Ashwin retired in the middle of the BGT Series Down Under. It became clear, he was unhappy and felt unwanted. Last week, Rohit Sharma took to social media to say goodbye to Test cricket. And now, Kohli says enough is enough and leaves Test cricket forever. Jeez, who is going to bat against England in the five-match Test series!

#269, signing off, says Virat Kohli, at the end of his social media post. For someone who became the most cerebral and celebrated cricketer in India, across all formats, Kohli leaves behind a treasure trove of memories. He was just 770 runs short of the 10,000 run mark in Tests. No, Kohli did not want to hang around, as he is unhappy. It is his greatness he has not said anything nasty in his note. Yet, for someone who has played cricket from his heart each day, he leaves Indian Test cricket paralysed. For the record, Kohli scored 9230 runs in 123 Tests, studded with 30 tons and 31 half tons. He did fail in the BGT Series say experts. It is like some saying India does not know how to deal with Pakistan in a war, even now!

As the fourth highest run-scorer in Test cricket for India behind Sachin Tendulkar (15,921 runs), Rahul Dravid (13,288 runs) and Sunil Gavaskar (10,122 runs), Kohli left his own imprint. For those who keep indulging in debates on who is the greatest, no, Kohli goes out as the fittest cricketer. That people played games and he did not want to be trapped in it saw him leave. On an incredible high, of course.

Kohli had no problems in being an under study to MS Dhoni and then rising as leader across formats. Kohli also blossomed under Ravi Shastri as coach and then accepted Rohit Sharma as his captain. The friction point, or turmoil was between coach Gambhir and Kohli. For the sake of an egoist coach who is running on a high, Gautam Gambhir, Kohli preferred peace. If Gambhir thinks he will define destiny and fate, no, sorry, Kohli was not going to accept it.

As a leader, Kohli was a natural captain. He likes to be in the thick of action and goad players. If that was seen as wanting to usurp captaincy again, that's fiction. Last bit, Indian Test cricket is orphaned. And if the coach thinks he will be the Godfather with a magic wand and produce results in Test cricket, the critics are watching.

Sections of the English and Hindi media, some paid and some employed as trolls, slammed Virat Kohli too hard. He put up with it. For a man who loves peace and family life, it is better to be away from a bad dressing room where the coach is conniving. Karma catches up with all, though Kohli being Kohli, he decided to quit. That's the sign of a champion.