Cricket’s magic isn’t always in the score line—sometimes, it’s just one player at the crease. For many, that player was Virat Kohli. In 2020, Michael Vaughan revealed his son wanted to be woken up just to watch Kohli bat—not England, not the match, just Kohli. That’s the kind of presence Virat still commands, even post-Test retirement.
The Aura of Kohli: More Than Just Runs
You don’t only ask someone to wake you up for a batter; you ask them for a performer, an artist, when it comes to cricket. His body language, his intensity, and his signature cover drive; everything about Kohli was a call to ‘watch me’ – and people did, religiously.
Michael Vaughan’s story wasn’t just charming – it was telling. It showed just how far Virat’s footprint stretched outside of Indian supporters. Here is a child, in England, the home of the Purest Form of Cricket, waiting for a visiting batter to bat. I don’t know if that is just respect – it is respect bordering on worship.
Kohli’s Turning Point in England
Kohli’s fame was always there, but his early days with the English, particularly Test cricket in England, were rocky. Who can forget the 2014 tour where he seemed an embarrassment, having his off-stump weakness exposed to the world as he averaged just 13.40 at 10 innings, and the critics were loving it. Was the “Kohli hype” merited? Not now.
Greats don’t disappear—they adapt. Kohli’s 2018 return to England was nothing short of a redemption arc. After a tough 2014, he came back sharper, tougher, and unshakable. With 593 runs at 59.30, including a majestic 149 at Birmingham and game-changing knocks in Nottingham, he didn’t just answer critics—he shut them down.
As we enter 2023, while it is not financially rewarding for him to be involved in performances any longer, he is by no means gone. His England Test career clocks off at 1,096 runs from 17 Tests – a number not for legends from pure stats, but a number that helps to shape the narrative of development, persistence, and stories.
Kohli’s Exit Leaves a Void—But Not an End
With Kohli now officially retired from the Test format, red-ball cricket will indeed look different. The five Tests in England (June 20 – August 4, 2025) will be the first in years that do not feature Rohit Sharma or Virat Kohli in the Indian Test team. Shubman Gill needs not only to lead a new era, but also to recognize that the aura, the Kohli effect, is absent.
It is a bit strange, isn’t it? To somehow think that we will never again see Virat Kohli walk out to a standing ovation at Lord’s, or stand toe-to-toe with Jimmy Anderson at the pitch in a fierce contest. Those moments are now just memories – great, unforgettable memories, but memories all the same.
But the legacy is not just in figures, it is in feelings. In Vaughan’s son, and all of the fans across the globe, who changed their schedule to see those few overs of Kohli’s magic.
As a new chapter unfolds, all we’re left with are questions: who’s next? Who will be that player for the next generation? Who will come on and make us grab the remote control without a second thought, time or team be damned? Until then, we’ll hear the sound of Kohli’s footsteps to the crease.
Who’s the one cricketer who still makes you drop everything and watch? Let’s talk in the comments.
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