The end of the Age of Kohli: Rudraneil Sengupta writes on an exceptional leader

The former captain, now retired from Tests, didn’t just lead, rack up the runs, and win. He altered the DNA of the Indian team.

Virat Kohli’s retirement from Tests, which he announced this week, was sudden, but not really a surprise. The 36-year-old had been struggling in his favoured whites for some years and, given his extreme commitment to ironing out flaws, he must have reached the inevitable conclusion that his dip in form was not, in fact, a dip but a permanent loss.

He previously announced his retirement from T20 Internationals after lifting the 2024 T20 World Cup trophy, and even though he