Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India]: Filmmaker Anurag Kashyap on Monday paid an emotional tribute to cricket icon Virat Kohli following the star batsman’s announcement of his retirement from Test cricket earlier in the day.
Taking to Instagram, the Gangs of Wasseypur director shared a rare throwback photo of a young Kohli donning a National Cricket Academy (NCA) jersey, capturing the cricketer’s early days in domestic cricket.
Captioning the nostalgic image, Kashyap wrote,
“This young man who went on to rule the pitch and our hearts. Lots of love champ. You will be missed in the test cricket.”
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Earlier in the day, Kohli’s wife and Bollywood actress Anushka Sharma also took to Instagram to share a deeply personal and emotional note, reflecting on her husband’s journey and evolution as a Test cricketer.
“They’ll talk about the records and the milestones — but I’ll remember the tears you never showed, the battles no one saw, and the unwavering love you gave this format of the game,” she wrote.
Anushka continued,
“Somehow, I always imagined you’d retire international cricket in whites — but you’ve always followed your heart, and so I just want to say my love, you’ve earned every bit of this goodbye.”
She accompanied the post with a memorable photo from India’s 2018 tour of Australia, where Kohli led the team to a historic 2-1 Test series victory, India’s first ever on Australian soil.
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Kohli’s Test career is nothing short of legendary. Making his debut in June 2011 against the West Indies, he went on to play 123 Test matches, scoring 9,230 runs at an average of 46.85, including 30 centuries and 31 half-centuries, with a career-best score of 254 not out.
He retires as India’s fourth-highest run-scorer in Test cricket, trailing only Sachin Tendulkar (15,921 runs), Rahul Dravid (13,265 runs) and Sunil Gavaskar (10,122 runs).
Kohli’s rise in Test cricket took flight after a resilient century at Adelaide in 2012, where he scored 116 against Australia, silencing critics after a tough debut series.
His retirement from the longest format marks the end of a glorious era in Indian cricket, with fans and celebrities alike pouring in their tributes for one of the modern greats.